Natural Resources Canada has produced a “Roadmap” for ensuring national development and adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). The Roadmap covers a wide range of topics related to the production and deployment of 500,000 or more EVs in Canada by 2018. Topics include energy storage, components for EVs, vehicles integration, business models and opportunities for EVs, government policies, regulatory and human resource issues, and public awareness and education.

By 2018, there will be at least 500,000 highway-capable plug-in electric-drive vehicles on Canadian roads, as well as what may be a larger number of hybrid-electric vehicles. All these vehicles will have more Canadian content in parts and manufacture than vehicles on the road in Canada in 2008.

Electricity as an alternative to traditional transportation energy is becoming a near-term reality for many countries, including Canada. Electric vehicles (EVs) will contribute to promoting sustainable energy development while addressing air quality and climate change.

The market for EVs in Canada is growing as Canadians look for cleaner, more efficient vehicles. Research confirms that consumers in North America are willing to pay more for an EV if the environmental benefits are significant. In Canada, it is expected that these benefits can be achieved because the majority of our electricity is generated from renewable and low-emission sources.

With our significant amounts of energy and a growing EV industry, Canada is well positioned to capitalize on this form of clean transportation. Our industry is well placed to be a major supplier of EV components and vehicles, not only in Canada but also internationally. Canada has the opportunity to link our efforts with those of the United States because of the integrated North American automotive industry.

To achieve the timely and effective commercialization of EVs, governments and industry must work together on ensuring that the necessary steps are taken. These steps include many activities, such as the development of advanced batteries, a charging infrastructure, electricity storage devices, codes and standards, and policies, as well as public education and consumer acceptance.

The most important of these topics is energy storage. Progress toward widespread use of the vehicles covered by the Electric Vehicle Technology Roadmap for Canada (the Roadmap) depends above all on one factor: increasing the amount of electrical energy that can be stored in a given volume or weight on board a vehicle, thereby extending electric traction’s range.

The Roadmap

This Roadmap’s topics include energy storage, components for EVs, vehicle integration, business models and opportunities for EVs, government policies, regulatory and human resource issues, and public awareness and education.

There is a call for a reduction in carbon emissions by focusing on EVs that rely exclusively or heavily on connection to the electricity grid for recharging their batteries. Part of Canada’s potential strength as a focus for EV production and use is the sophistication of the electricity grid and the electrical generation that feeds it.

In Canada, a higher share of this electrical generation is from renewable sources than in almost any other country, which means that conversion of the Canadian on-road fleet to EVs would result in large reductions in the fleet’s carbon emissions. Moreover, several of the provincially, territorially and locally owned utilities that provide electrical energy in Canada have a strong interest in electric traction.

The Roadmap includes three recommendations for securing the vision for EVs in 2018. The recommendations, addressed to governments, industry and other stakeholders, are these:

1. Make timely and substantial investments in Canadian development and manufacture of EVs and in energy storage devices to build on Canada’s already strong presence in these industries.
2. Consider supplementing federal and provincial/territorial mechanisms to promote the development, public acceptance and procurement of personal and commercial EVs, and the installation of the charging infrastructure.
3. Reconstitute the Steering Committee as a Roadmap Implementation