Electric cars continue to advance by leaps and bounds
Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
cassandra@qctonline.com
Thousands of Quebecers visited the fifth Salon du véhicule électrique du Québec (SVEQ; Quebec City electric car show) from Oct. 25 to 27. The latest models from Porsche, Mazda, Tesla, Volvo, Mercedes and Audi made visitors dream of owning eco-friendly vehicles.
Meandering through the 20-odd brands of cars, visitors noticed that electric vehicles are still more expensive than gas-powered vehicles, although subsidies can help offset some of the cost for the time being. “With the [Quebec government’s] Roulez vert program subsidies set to be reduced in 2025, the SVEQ is perfect for those who were hesitant to go electric,” said SVEQ general manager Charles Drouin. “The $7,000 subsidy for purchasing a 100 per cent electric vehicle will drop to $4,000 in 2025 and gradually disappear in 2027. The subsidy for purchasing a plug-in hybrid vehicle will suffer the same fate. The fed- eral government’s financial assistance, which can be up to $5,000, is still available. To obtain the full provincial subsidy, electric vehicles must be registered by December 31, 2024.”
“[The SVEQ] is a unique opportunity to compare the majority of electric vehicles available in Quebec while taking advantage of current government credits,” said Drouin. Besides eyeballing the newest models and getting the latest information from sales representatives, visitors could test-drive any of the 75 available vehicles on a five- kilometre circuit.
“I’ve owned gas-powered vehicles all my life. I am a manual transmission guy. You don’t get the same pleasure out of maneuvering an electric car as you do driving a manual transmission car. You don’t feel or hear the engine,” said Jerry Deslauriers. “My 30-year-old son here is trying very hard to convince me of the many benefits of these electric ve- hicles. Since we are here, he had me test-drive the Volvo EX30. Despite my preferences, I greatly enjoyed the drive. Was
it enough to convince me to go to the green side?”
Besides the driving experi- ence, the freedom to roam long distances is another major factor for car shoppers. Tesla continues to be a leading brand in terms of battery life, with models able to cover about 650 km between charges. Although fully charging a vehicle still takes hours compared to minutes to fill a gas tank, more and more service stations are investing in electric chargers. For this reason, hybrid cars remain an interesting option for many drivers, especially in Quebec winters. According to CAA, electric cars lose 25 per cent of their power when the temperature falls below -15, and 45 per cent at -25.
Charging costs, however, often tip the balance in favour of electric vehicles. According to Hydro-Québec, it costs about $0.11892 per kilowatt hour to charge an electric car, compared to $1.50 per litre of gas. In other words, on aver- age, to drive 100 km, it costs drivers of electric cars $2.50 for a 21-kilowatt hour charge and drivers of gas-powered cars $10.65.
Whether to run errands in town or to drive leisurely through the countryside, electric vehicles continue to cover more and more ground.