As more Canadians consider electric vehicles, experts at a recent conference noted how they are battling persistent myths and changing attitudes around buying and maintaining EVs.
Panellists discussed how misinformation about repairs continues to confuse EV owners, especially when it comes to used vehicles.
Daniel Breton, chief executive officer of Electric Mobility Canada, told stories of friends who have EVs and hear the scary reports about how an EV owner needs to spend $15,000-$30,000 on a battery replacement. In one case, all that was needed was an over-the-air update. And batteries can be repaired these days.
“I keep hearing this thing: ‘We need to change the battery.’ But now you can fix batteries,” he said.
Maintenance issues and cost fears are not just myths — panellists noted that tools and expertise for used EV assessment have improved. State-of-health checks are easily doable, they noted.
There are also cultural and generational attitudes about EVs. Breton noted that shifting owner preferences are having ripple effects at home and in the workplace.
“Most families today, most households, have two [or] three cars,” he said, adding that when a new car is added to a household, it’s more often becoming an EV.
With EVs now lasting longer and high-voltage repairs becoming routine, the transition to electric vehicles is also shifting the hiring landscape.
“Since the younger generation normally is more tech savvy, I think it can be more attractive for them to work on electric cars, to fix them,” Breton said.
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