There are about 26 million cars on the road in Canada. These cars emit greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other forms of pollution that can affect our health. Here in Ottawa, about 45% of GHG emissions come from transportation – mostly from gas-powered cars.
To meet our climate goals, we need to reduce our reliance on gas-powered vehicles, and electric vehicles are among the key solutions to making our transportation systems cleaner and greener.
Whether you drive, bike, or take the bus, it’s important to know the role EVs can play in our city!
We spoke with Raymond Leury, President of the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa, to answer some of the most common questions about EVs and to help us discover the benefits of EVs for our community.
What is an electric vehicle?
The Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa is focused on the transition to electric vehicles, as well as public education and engagement on their benefits and activism.
For those wondering what is included in the electric vehicle category, EVCO defines it as any vehicle that can be plugged into the electrical system at home or public charging station. There are two sub-types, hybrids (which have 20 to 70km of electric range), and fully electric battery vehicles which have the advantage of not using fossil fuels at all.
During our conversation, Raymond breaks down some common myths about EVs. Many people have a misconception that EV batteries are thrown away at the end of their life, creating a pollution problem, but in reality batteries have a very high recycling rate, just as batteries in combustion vehicles are typically recycled.
One of the most common myths is the idea that EVs don’t work well in winter. Raymond explains that EVs work as well or better than gas cars in the winter because they always start, and they warm up quickly! You can heat the cabin of an EV immediately instead of waiting for the engine to warm up first and some EVs even have a feature where you can heat the cabin in advance, or cool it down in the summer.
While it is true that EVs are more expensive to buy, the maintenance and cost of electricity is much cheaper than for a gas car. For those who drive more than 15,000 km per year – such as delivery drivers – the difference in maintenance can add up over time so that an EV would save you money.
What is the role of EVs in sustainable transportation systems?
A sustainable transportation system would allow people to choose active transportation and public transit as often as possible. But electric vehicles also have an important role to play, for example in the electrification of buses and private company fleets. In addition, the city of Ottawa is very large and unfortunately currently difficult to navigate without a car, so for some people the best sustainable option would be to substitute their GHG vehicle for an EV.
Through their engagement campaigns, EVCO has helped push OC Transpo to make the transition to EVs, and by 2026 there will be 350 electric buses in Ottawa. They are also involved in a project to electrify school buses.
Workplaces and businesses can also play an important role in the adoption and promotion of EVs. They can adopt EVs themselves for their fleets, which can greatly reduce their impact in terms of transportation-related GHGs. They can also install charging stations so that their employees can recharge at work. This is a service not necessarily offered by other employers, and can allow employees who do not already have a charging station installed at home to have an accessible option.
What are the barriers to EV adoption here in Ottawa? And what are the solutions?
According to Raymond, there are two main barriers to the adoption of electric vehicles. First, they are still relatively expensive, despite the fact that battery prices are starting to drop. Second, access to charging stations at home and in public places is still a problem in some places, especially in low-income areas and in places where most people live in condos and apartments.
Increasing the availability of public charging stations could have a significant impact on making EVs more accessible, and carpooling options with electric cars can also make this mode of transportation more accessible to those who do not own a car and do not plan to buy one.
This blog was made possible by Bilingual Ottawa, a project of the Association des Communautés Francophones d’Ottawa, which aims to recognize Ottawa’s bilingual character, promote the Francophonie and foster the collective interests of Ottawa’s Francophone community.
