The federal government is moving forward with plans to shift to battery-operated vehicles by 2035.
Canada's Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has unveiled more details regarding the shift earlier this week.
Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said with the rapid change for automakers, it will be interesting to watch the price of gas leading up to that mandate and after.
"It's going to be a bit of a back-and-forth, oil companies will probably not invest [in Canada]," he said. "That could mean that capacity will decline over time. The real question is will demand decline faster than potential capacity. That imbalance between supply and demand is what could cause a bit more volatility."
The plan is to have one and every five vehicles offered to motorists be an electric model or a long-range hybrid. By 2023 that number triples to 60 per cent of new vehicles for sale and by 2035, that number will rise to 100 per cent.
"While EVs may offer lower emissions during the life of the vehicles, they're certainly not emission-free in the production of the vehicle," he said. "There are downsides, especially in areas like Canada where climates are very cold. EVs are extremely poor in performing in extremely cold temperatures."
De Haan said on the surface everyone likes the idea of low emissions and less pollution but whether that thought can become reality within the next 12 years will be dependent on technological advancement and infrastructure.
That includes adding countless EV chargers throughout Canada including locally.
"We're talking about billion dollars of investment to make this a reality and some areas of Saskatchewan that are more rural," he said. "It just doesn't make much sense to be spending billions building infrastructure that may only be sparsely utilized."
Tue, May 14, 7:00 PM
