London Hydro hosts electric vehicle open house, but new survey indicates Canadian drive for EVs slowing down

“We're just going to take you for a bit of a run so you get the feel of the vehicle...lets go,” said Sonia-Michelle D'souza, marketing and digital manager, with Porsche Centre London.

The parking lot of the Hellenic Center in London, Ont. was taken over by electric and hybrid vehicles on Wednesday, ready to be test driven.

"It was a very smooth ride, it's got a lot of interesting features on it,” said Paul Hendrikx after test driving a new EV.

London Hydro hosted 20 local dealerships, all ready to pitch why you should make the switch.

"I think there's a lot of confusion on electric vehicles, a lot of different opinions out there, and really we want just wanted to a venue for customers to come and learn more about them,” said Nancy Hutton with London Hydro.

In 2023, Statistics Canada reported zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) accounted for just over one in 10 (10.8 per cent) of all new motor vehicle registrations in Canada, the highest ever.

But a recent Nanos Poll conducted for CTV News, looking at the demand for electric vehicles in Canada, found Canadians are less enthusiastic about jumping behind an EV, citing charging range as a main concern.

"The range anxiety is a real issue, we live in London, we do a lot of work in Toronto, getting there and getting home, not going to happen. So you got to think about how you're going to do that,” said Bill Assini, who is looking to make the switch.

But dealerships said it has become easier to plan your drive with more EV charging stations across the country synched to your GPS.

"I think it would be safe to say EV sales aren't going quite as fast as everyone predicted, but they are definitely increasing month over month, and last month was our best EV sales ever,” explained Jordan finch, CEO of the Finch Auto Group.

Besides the benefit of transitioning from fossil fuels, there are a number of incentives if you considering making the switch.

"We have an ultra low rate that was introduced by the government last year, and it [is] specifically designed for people that have electric vehicle chargers in their home,” added Hutton.

Once EV customers register their car, London Hydro said they will be able to get a better idea as to how many people are going green.