By 2018, there will be at least 500 000 highway-capable plug-in electric-drive vehicles on Canadian roads, as well as what may be a larger number of hybrid-electric vehicles. All these vehicles will have more Canadian content in parts and manufacture than vehicles on the road in Canada in 2008.

Electricity as an alternative to traditional transportation energy is becoming a near-term reality for many countries, including Canada. Electric vehicles (EVs) will contribute to promoting sustainable energy development while addressing air quality and climate change.

The market for EVs in Canada is growing as Canadians look for cleaner, more efficient vehicles. Research confirms that consumers in North America are willing to pay more for an EV if the environmental benefits are significant. In Canada, it is expected that these benefits can be achieved because the majority of our electricity is generated from renewable and low-emission sources.

With our significant amounts of energy and a growing EV industry, Canada is well positioned to capitalize on this form of clean transportation. Our industry is well placed to be a major supplier of EV components and vehicles, not only in Canada but also internationally. Canada has the opportunity to link our efforts with those of the United States because of the integrated North American automotive industry.

To achieve the timely and effective commercialization of EVs, governments and industry must work together on ensuring that the necessary steps are taken. These steps include many activities, such as the development of advanced batteries, a charging infrastructure, electricity storage devices, codes and standards, and policies, as well as public education and consumer acceptance.

The most important of these topics is energy storage. Progress toward widespread use of the vehicles covered by the Electric Vehicle Technology Roadmap for Canada (the Roadmap) depends above all on one factor: increasing the amount of electrical energy that can be stored in a given volume or weight on board a vehicle, thereby extending electric traction’s range.

This Roadmap is intended to provide the strategic direction to ensure the development and adoption of EVs in Canada, while building a robust industry.

The Roadmap provides the perspective of numerous stakeholders, mainly industry, as to how EVs for highway use should evolve in Canada over the next nine years and what should be done to secure this evolution. The Roadmap covers a wide range of topics related to the production and deployment of 500 000 or more EVs in Canada by 2018. The topics include energy storage, components for EVs, vehicle integration, business models and opportunities for EVs, government policies, regulatory and human resource issues, and public awareness and education.

Included in this Roadmap are two types of personal and commercial vehicles that rely exclusively or primarily on electric traction:

• battery EVs that have only electric traction and are almost always charged from the electricity grid
• EVs that have an internal combustion engine (ICE) in addition to an electric traction motor. The ICE can charge the vehicle’s battery by powering a generator while the vehicle is in motion, and may also provide traction.

Other EVs that are not considered in the Roadmap include fuel-cell-based vehicles, vehicles with two or three wheels, low-speed and off-road vehicles, military vehicles, and vehicles such as trolley buses that are powered from the grid while in motion.

There is a call for a reduction in carbon emissions by focusing on EVs that rely exclusively or heavily on connection to the electricity grid for recharging their batteries. Part of Canada’s potential strength as a focus for EV production and use is the sophistication of the electricity grid and the electrical generation that feeds it.

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