Number of electric vehicles in N.L. more than doubles in 2022
4.4% of new vehicles registered last year were either hybrid or electric
More drivers in Newfoundland and Labrador are going electric, with the number of electric vehicles registered in the province more than doubling in 2022.
According to recent numbers from the provincial government, 398 electric vehicles were registered in the 2022 calendar year. That raises the total number of EVs to 715, a 126 per cent increase over the previous year.
The number of hybrid vehicles registered in the province is also on the rise. Hybrids are vehicles that use two different forms of power, like an internal combustion engine and an electric motor.
In 2022, the number of registered hybrid vehicles increased by 53 per cent, bringing the total up to 2,149.
The province's numbers show that 4.4 per cent of new vehicles registered last year were either hybrid or electric vehicles.
'Beginning of a real big upswing' for EVs
Jon Seary, co-founder of Drive Electric N.L., says the increasing number of EVs is encouraging, despite the relatively small total number of the vehicles.
"We are at the very beginning of a real big upswing, a big uptick, in electric vehicle adoption. Exciting to see, but that gives us some time to prepare. We know what's coming," he said.
"If anybody is looking at this and saying, 'Oh yeah, but there's not even 1,000 of those vehicles here,' you just have to look a little bit farther west to see what it's going to go like."
As an indication of what's to come, Seary points to British Columbia, where around 20 per cent of vehicles sold last year were electric.
Newfoundland and Labrador's minister of environment and climate change, Bernard Davis, says the uptick in EVs is encouraging, as the switch to electric vehicles will be an important way to help the province meet its climate targets.
"In this province alone, transportation accounts for some 40 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
"We think that's a very big opportunity for us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the doubling of electric vehicles in our province year-over-year is where we want to be. Hopefully we'll be able to continue that trend this coming year."
Along with the environmental benefits, Seary said, the cost savings that come from not needing to buy gasoline have helped increase the popularity of EVs.
"Every family that moves one car to electric can generally save somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000 a year of their after-tax income in fuel costs. Maintenance costs and so on are on top of that," he said.
Supply chain issues
The biggest issue standing in the way of more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians behind the wheel of EVs, Seary said, is inventory. Supply chain issues and shortages of components needed to build the vehicles have made for waiting lists all over the world.
"Nobody has got these things lying around on their lots with nobody to purchase them, and what's really rare, of course, and this is across the country, is vehicles that are of the affordable trims," he said.
"We'll always find the higher-end vehicles available, but it would be nice to see a lot more inventory available."
Seary said it's the electric vehicles that cost less than $45,000 — and qualify for federal and provincial rebates as a result — that are in higher demand and have longer wait-lists to buy.
He expects more EVs to be available over the next year or so, however, as the federal government pushes to increase the supply of the vehicles.
Ottawa has proposed regulations that will require at least 20 per cent of new vehicles sold in Canada will be zero emission by 2026, increasing to 100 per cent of vehicles by 2035. Those regulations could come into effect later in 2023.
Davis said his department has been working with the province's automobile dealers association and he expects a wider range of EVs to be available soon.
Last month's provincial budget upholds the $2,500 provincial rebate for EVs and $1,500 rebate for plug-in hybrids, the minister said, with those incentives expected to remain in place for the next three years.
Charging infrastructure continues to grow
Davis said the province has also budgeted over a million dollars to build more charging stations for electric vehicles, which will also be matched by the federal government.
A $2.2-million investment in 2020 built 14 charging stations across Newfoundland.
More chargers will help fight the range anxiety that can come with an EV, he said, but it's also important to consider your own driving habits when looking for a vehicle that runs on battery power.
"We're a vast province, and sometimes people believe they drive more than they actually do and most of your charging is happening, some 95 to 98 per cent of your charging of a vehicle is going at happen at your home, so regardless of where you live in the province, you have an ability to use that," said Davis.
As for charging infrastructure, Seary said the province is covered for now, but there is room for more infrastructure. Municipalities and hospitality providers, he said, could take on a larger role in expanding the network of chargers.
In the meantime, Seary said, driving an EV uses electricity that's already being produced in the province, keeps money and jobs here and helps meet climate change targets.
"It's sort of win, win, win all across the board. All we have to do is start driving electric vehicles."
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