Considering buying an electric vehicle in Ontario? Here are some things to know

If you are planning to replace your vehicle in the next few years, it’s possible your next ride will be electric. The Canadian government announced that by 2035 all new light-duty vehicles sold will have to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). But even before 2035, there will be fewer and fewer gasoline- and diesel-burning cars available for purchase.

By 2026, at least 20 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles sold will have to be a ZEV, and by 2030 that requirement jumps to 60 per cent. There are various forms of zero-emission vehicles. The Canadian government defines ZEVs as battery-electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), both of which are types of electric vehicles (EV), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) that can operate on electric power alone for a specified minimum distance.



This article is about battery-electric vehicles, the most common type of EV. EV chargers are available in one of three charging levels: Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3, and there are a number of variables that impact the charging speed of each. A note about charging times: The above charging times are government estimates, and actual charging time will vary by vehicle, battery and charger, and can be impacted by temperature, battery state and more.

Not all EVs fit the same charging port. Think iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, two similar devices but slightly different outlets. It’s the same thing for EVs.

Most EV chargers and vehicles support the SAE J1772 universal connector and receptacle. This can also be called a J Plug or Type 1 connector. This connector type allows for Level 1 or Level 2 charging.

Tesla, however, uses a different propriety connector, but there is a Tesla to J1772 adapter that allows Tesla drivers to charge up at standard Level 2 chargers. No adapter is needed when a Tesla car is plugged into a Tesla charger. Other vehicles can also be charged at a Tesla charging station with a J1772 to Tesla-type adapter.

For Level 3 charging, also called fast charging, there are three common connectors available in North America, so depending on which vehicle brand you’re driving, you’re looking for a charger connector that fits your ride. There are also other EV charger connectors in other parts of the world, but the three mentioned above are the most common here. The Ontario government requires people to get a permit from the Electrical Safety Authority first, and the installation must be done by a licensed electrical contractor.

The equipment must also be certified for use in Canada. No installation is required for Level 1 charging. The Ontario government estimates there are more than 2,900 public charging stations, and more than 8,000 charging ports, in the province.

The province itself has Level 2 chargers installed at a number of carpool lots. A number of navigation apps include charger location information. Google Maps, for example, began rolling out AI-powered tools that provide specific information on the location of EV chargers, such as where exactly in the parking lot it is located.

The AI-powered summaries are generated based on information provided by user reviews. You can learn more about the Google Maps feature on the company’s . A number of car companies also include navigation apps with their vehicles that provide information on charger availability at partner charging stations.

Most EV charging stations are operated by companies that charge drivers a fee to use those stations. Billing may be time-based, as in how long your vehicle was charging for, or it could be based on the rate of kilowatt-hours used, or a flat rate, such a standard fee to charge. Time-based billing is the most common in Canada, according to the Canadian government; however a number of charge station providers have announced recently plans to switch to kilowatt-hours used for billing.

Some even offer lower rates overnight. You may be required to have an app installed to pay the charging fee or the charger may have a point-of-sale terminal just like a gas pump does. Some businesses, organizations or municipalities offer free on-site charging for their customers or employees.

Buying an electric car is much like buying a gasoline-burning car, in that you will consider comfort and luxury features, size, performance and look for all the features you desire within your budget. You’ll also look at the car’s range and efficiency, similar to how you might consider a gas-burning car’s mileage. Manufacturers report a vehicle’s rated driving range.

This is easy to understand: On a full charge, a car with a rated range of 400 kilometres should travel 400 kilometres under ideal conditions. Keep in mind, extreme cold temperatures, the age of the battery and other factors can impact range. The other thing you’ll look for, which may be harder to spot, is EV efficiency.

For fuel-burning cars, we look at how many litres of fuel are burned per 100 kilometres of travel (L/100 km) and in the U.S. they look at miles per gallon (MPG).

For electric vehicles, efficiency can be reported as litres-equivalent per 100 kilometres (Le/100 km) or kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres (kWh/100 km). Whichever rating is used, the lower the number the better. A lower number means the vehicle uses less energy when being driven, therefore costing you less to charge.

The Government of Canada has a rebate of up to $5,000 for the purchase or lease of a new light-duty BEV, FCEV or longer-range plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). The rebate level is reduced for leases of less than 48 months. Additionally, PHEVs with an electric range of less than 50 kilometres are eligible for a rebate of up to $2,500.

Keep in mind, individuals are eligible for the rebate only once, so when you are shopping for your second EV, you pay the full price for the next one. The federal rebate is available for passenger cars with a base model manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of less than $55,000, or higher-priced trims of these vehicles up to a maximum MSRP of $65,000. The rebate is also available for station wagons, light pickup trucks, SUVs, minivans, vans or special purpose vehicles with a base model MSRP of less than $60,000, or higher-priced trims of these vehicles up to a maximum MSRP of $70,000.

Vehicles are still eligible for these rebates even if delivery, freight and other fees push the actual purchase price over these set limits. A full list of eligible vehicles is available on the Canadian government’s . Ontario does not have an EV rebate, but other provinces do, including neighbouring Quebec.

But can you buy an EV in another province and get their rebate? Sadly, the answer is no. Provincial rebates are not based on where you buy your car, but on where it is registered. So, a Quebec driver can come to Ontario and buy a car here and get Quebec’s EV rebate, if the vehicle is being registered in Quebec, but an Ontario driver won’t benefit from buying a vehicle in Quebec.

It is hard to tell someone how much less or more an EV will cost them to operate per year than a gasoline car as this is variable person to person, vehicle to vehicle. However, you can remove certain regular costs associated with internal combustion engines, such as oil changes and tune-ups. EVs also make use of regenerative braking, which recaptures energy when slowing down the car, so there’s less wear and tear on the brakes, which results in less frequent brake part replacement.

On the other hand, EVs are heavier so the tires wear out quicker and repairs, when they come up, can be costly if the vehicle is past its warranty. showed that electric vehicles are a lot less reliable than non-electric vehicles, experiencing 79 per cent more problems than gasoline-powered cars. Despite the more frequent problems reported, a Vincentric study found that EV ownership tends to save owners thousands to tens of thousands of dollars over a five-year period.

For example, the study found that the five-year EV ownership cost of the BMW i7 xDrive60 4D Sedan is $163,015 while the equivalent ICE car, the BMW 7 Series 760i xDrive 4D Sedan, has a five-year ownership cost of $207,156, resulting in a $44,141 saving for the EV owner. Granted, that’s on the high-end side. A more likely scenario for most people would be the difference between five-year ownership costs of a Kia Kona versus a Kia Kona EV, with the EV variant coming in $6,551 less expensive over a five-year period.

You can . Just thinking about how much an electric vehicle battery replacement could cost may weigh heavily on buyers. We’ve all seen the headlines of EV owners being quoted tens of thousands of dollars to replace their dead battery once the vehicle is past warranty.

There is no denying it, an EV battery is expensive to replace. Similar to how an ICE car would include a shorter comprehensive warranty and a longer powertrain warranty, the same thing tends to occur with EVs, with most EVs available in Canada coming with a battery warranty of eight years or 160,000 kilometres, whichever comes first. There are also third-party warranty companies through which you can purchase an extended warranty.

There are also certain actions owners can take to extend the life of your battery. Recommended actions will vary from automaker to automaker, so check with your manufacturer for your specific vehicle, but some common actions ask drivers to never let the battery charge fall below 10 or 20 per cent and not to charge it to more than 80 or 90 per cent, unless you are planning a long-distance journey; not to use Level 3 chargers frequently; and if you won’t be driving your EV for an extended period, to charge it up ahead of time so when the battery slowly depletes on its own, it won’t drop to zero..