Manitoba needs better infrastructure for electric vehicles: industry experts

While Manitobans are used to plugging in their cars in the winter, they’ll soon be doing it year-round, as the federal government imposes EV targets.

But some say as EV adoption grows, the infrastructure to support it needs to as well.

“It was uncommon for me driving around to see even one or two and now it’s a common occurrence,” said James Hart, president of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association.

The federal government announced late last year they plan to require all new passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks to be zero-emission by 2035.

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Car dealerships in Winnipeg have been noticing more people turn to EVs.

“It really comes down to the gas prices,” said Sam Kornachuk, a luxury vehicles sales representative from Nott Autocorp. “We’ve really seen them fluctuate over the last few years. People are not happy on what they are spending on gas. If you are just driving in the city, electric is super convenient. Even the plug-in hybrids, you get 50 kilometres purely on the electric charge.”

“There’s been a lot more interest in EVs,” added Micah Boisjoli, owner of Greenway Motors. “Sales are continually going up, they are increasing.”

Despite perceptions, experts say EVs can withstand the frigid temperatures the Prairies are known for.

“It is very interesting to hear that people living in rural Canada have this idea that we cannot have an electric car if we live in rural Canada, which is not the case,” said Daniel Breton, CEO of Electric Mobility Canada.

But as more people switch to EVs, there are concerns there aren’t enough charging stations to meet the demand.

Fewer than 400 electric charging ports in Manitoba

According to Natural Resources Canada, there are over 26,000 electric charging ports across the country, with Manitoba having just under 400.

“We do have members in condos that are struggling to even get their condo boards to approve chargers being installed, even at their own expense,” said Hart. “Apartments are another issue, where management companies are struggling to figure out a way to get them or even if they want to get into that.”

Jon Phillips-Redstone, who lives an hour-and-a-half away from Winnipeg in Powerview, says his 2022 Chevrolet Bolt can get him from Powerview to Winnipeg and back on a single charge during the summer. But he admits EV owners do need to plan their travel once they head out of Winnipeg, especially during the winter.

“From Powerview, we can drive to Winnipeg,” he said. “We can do all our running around, shopping and then find a place where there is a fast charger. Then we plug it in, do our shopping and come back and we have lots to get home.”

In a statement to CityNews, Manitoba Minister of Environment and Climate Change Tracey Schmidt said the government is “working hard to bring our EV and plug-in hybrid rebate program to Manitobans, which will provide rebates of $4,000 for new and $2,500 for used EVs and plug-in hybrids. We have also committed to building more EV charging stations across the province to make it easier for Manitobans to make the switch to an EV or plug-in hybrid.”