Written by Emiko Wijeysundera and the CSRC Team
Want to watch the full event? A recording is accessible on our YouTube channel.
On January 28th, 2026, the Climate Solutions Research Collective convened a panel to explore Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy and Practice in Canada.
Moderated by Professor Milind Kandlikar, panelists Megan Lohmann (Community Energy Association CEO) and Associate Professor Werner Antweiler (UBC Sauder School of Business) shared their insights with participants who were gathered both virtually and in-person at the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) on UBC’s Vancouver campus (Musqueam territory).
Switching to EVs in Canada is going to be a challenge. But this is an interesting time because there is change everywhere, so maybe there is also an opportunity.
- Prof. Kandlikar
Milind Kandlikar is a Professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) and the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (IRES). His research sits at the intersection of technology innovation, human development, and the global environment. He opened the session by providing context for the panel’s focus on transportation and climate change.
In Canada, a quarter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from transportation, highlighting the potential impact of electric vehicle adoption to addressing Canada’s GHG emissions. He explained that, in comparison to other countries around the globe, Canada is behind in rapidly adopting EVs in the transportation sector. He suggested that this is due to a combination of different factors including a) the removal of federal and provincial subsidies for EV purchases, b) pausing the federal zero emissions vehicle sales mandate requiring that 100% of all new light-duty vehicle sold by 2035 must be zero-emission, and c) the doubling down on fossil fuels by the current United States administration, Canada’s largest trading partner. Prof. Kandlikar feels hopeful about the newest trade deal announced by Prime Minister Carney on January 16th to import 49 000 EVs manufactured in China at reduced tariff rates. While Dr. Kandlikar is unsure how this will affect Canada’s overall adoption, he believes that it is a promising step in the right direction.
Barriers and opportunities to adoption
Prof. Antweiler’s research focuses on energy economics, international trade, and environmental policy. He shared his expertise as Chair in Industrial Trade Policy to expand on the global context for EV adoption provided by Prof. Kandlikar, sharing the ‘numbers’ of the EV space. In Canada, less than 20% of new cars sold today are electric, which is below the global average. Norway is the global leader for the transition to EVs: over 90% of new cars sold are EVs, with EVs now representing over 30% of all cars on the road. In Canada, fewer than 5% of all cars on the road are EVs, with the greatest adoption in British Columbia and Quebec. These provinces lead in adoption due in part to robust charging infrastructure. Since the end of incentives in 2025, adoption has dropped in both provinces, most significantly in Quebec. It is very difficult for the government to continue subsidies, Prof. Antweiler explains, because it becomes unaffordable without any revenue stream. In BC, funding for these subsidies were directed from revenue collected through the carbon tax, which is no longer collected.
The price of battery packs is crucial to adoption.
This cost is the leading factor in EV uptake and it has been steadily dropping since 2010. Dr. Antweiler emphasised that the cost of batteries is more crucial than policy changes, because it drives the purchasing gap between traditional gas powered vehicles and EVs. While it is almost 75% less expensive per km to operate an EV than one that is gas-powered, the initial purchase price of EVs is much higher.
This is where the disparity lies - although operating costs are lower for EVs, the initial purchase has meant that EVs have been out of reach for many Canadians. Dropping battery costs represent an exciting shift in the EV landscape. Prof. Antweiler shares Germany as a case study. Despite incentives for EVs being decreased in 2021 and dropped altogether by 2024, adoption continued to rise in 2025. This uptake in Germany has been driven by the market, rather than changes in policy.
Prof. Antweiler ended his presentation with a discussion of urban and rural uptake: “the more urban you get, the higher the uptake”. How can rural communities be included in the switch to electrification?
Electrification across vast geographies
Megan Lohmann is the CEO of Community Energy Association (CEA), a charitable nonprofit that works on policy and retrofits to enable electric vehicle adoption across Western Canada, working to translate policy into on-the-ground climate action. Ms. Lohmann brought her extensive experience in energy policy and implementation in her role at the CEA, as well as from a multitude of other experiences, including as Vice-Chair of the Electric Mobility Canada Board, to the discussion.
In her opening presentation, she addressed the barriers and opportunities for rural communities making the switch to electrification. One way that the CEA works to address access to electric mobility is by extending and developing the needed infrastructure, especially across largely rural areas which currently have low access and small market share.
CEA helps small municipalities and local governments to participate in the energy transition, driven by local climate action plans and community energy infrastructure. When the CEA first began their work in the Kootneys, for example, there were only eleven EVs in the region, and no fast charging infrastructure available outside BC’s urban centres in the lower mainland. Now, there is infrastructure throughout the region and interest in EVs is growing.
The success of this network in the Kootneys sparked interest in southern Alberta, and so the CEA began working with local governments in the province to extend the charging network eastward to Medicine Hat. Ms. Lohmann noted that motivations for infrastructure can differ by community or region. In BC, a desire for climate action drove adoption in many spaces, while in southern Alberta opportunities for tourism and economic development were strong motivators.
A key takeaway from Ms. Lohmann was the necessity of investment from the public sector, including both federal and provincial funding, to kickstart initial development of rural charging infrastructure.
In addition to infrastructure and the deployment of networks, Ms. Lohmann notes that education and awareness campaigns are key to enhancing adoption. Additionally, training programs for EV maintenance at institutions like BCIT are essential to supporting the broader needs of EV users in the long term. Examples of regional approaches to electrification showcase the opportunities for unique solutions. In Sparwood, BC, for example, the local government installed solar panels on the city hall to support EV charging. By improving access to infrastructure, EV adoption expanded, including in the local metallurgical mining industry in the region.
Where to now?
The event concluded with a robust question and answer period facilitated by Prof. Kandlikar. The panelists discussed how subsidies can be most effectively deployed in Canada, how and where public investment can be most productive, and why convenient and accessible charging infrastructure is so critical. They also consider EV adoption within larger clean transportation solutions that also require transit expansion and active transportation infrastructure. Hear further insights from Ms. Lohmann, Prof. Antweiler, and Prof. Kandlikar on everything from Canadian critical minerals role in EVs to anti-electric sentiment from our event recording, accessible on our YouTube channel.