@tomfletcherbc Hi Tom, what's the best way to offer additional context to the data? Letter-to-editor? I've tracked the Canadian EV market for 6 years (see: tinyurl.com/CanadaEVSales) and some of the stats could use some clarification.
@tomfletcherbc In calendar 2017 (most readily available data) 2.6% of California car sales were battery-electric or fuel cell vehicles, with an additional 2.2% being plug-in hybrids. The ZEV share was therefore 4.8%; BC's ZEV share in 2017 was about 1.4%.
@tomfletcherbc 2/ June 2018 was a freakish month for ZEVs in Canada (and BC) because Tesla brought in 2000+ Model 3s. (By comparison they sold about 100 Model 3s in each of July and August.) So the 3.7% cited for June 2018 for BC isn't very representative.
@tomfletcherbc 3/ it's ironic: @Tesla_Canada wants a ZEV mandate in BC, so it can sell credits to other carmakers. @NCDA_BC's members want to follow customer demand, not gov't requirements, in their sales strategies. And NCDA is using Tesla's sales to argue against a ZEV mandate.
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 4/ Some disclosures: I work for Plug In BC, a non-profit which oversees provincial EV infrastructure rebates, and rebates for heavy-duty vehicles (buses, trucks). All opinions are mine, not necessarily representative of Plug In BC, etc.
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 5/ I'm personally in favour of a ZEV mandate; recently published SFU research reinforces that this would be more cost-effective than ongoing rebates ... BUT ... sciencedirect.com/science/articl… 
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 6/ I can appreciate that, just as McDonald's wouldn't want to sell an ever-higher % of salads each year, in case there aren't enough salad-eating customers, carmakers and car dealers are worried that they'll one day have to give away EVs to be allowed to sell SUVs.
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 7/ I think that's an unfounded fear -- zero-emission vehicles are noticeably better in almost every way, and the price premiums are coming down fast -- but if I'm wrong, it doesn't affect me; it's not my livelihood at stake. I get that.
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 8/ ... short commercial break: you can find the original version of my McDonald's analogy in my monthly-ish EV/fuel cell newsletter here; subscribe for inbox access to my sales spreadsheet ... us18.campaign-archive.com/?u=0eb50f58860…
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 9/ I think it's ok for public policy to prod industry to pollute less, become more efficient ... and sell more ZEVs. (Best-case, industry can export its new expertise - HydroQuebec's EV inverter division, TM4, was recently sold for $165MM! tm4.com/news-events/tm…)
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 10/ not everyone agrees, and that's OK; that's democracy. If policy consultation is done properly, miracles can happen; if done improperly, debacles can happen. Now, to refine the BC = carrot, California = stick analogy...
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 11/ Californians enjoy even bigger carrots than BC, to go along with the stick. US car buyers get a federal income tax credit (up to USD $7500) for buying ZEVs. Californians get up to $2500, plus up to $2000 more, for lower-income households. cleanvehiclerebate.org/eng/income-eli…
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 12/ Quebec also has a ZEV mandate, and their purchase rebates go up to CAD $8000. BC's rebates go up to $5000 ($6000 for fuel cell cars); BC's Scrap-It program, funded through low carbon fuel standard money, also offers up to $6000 to trade old gas guzzlers for ZEVs.
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 13/ Our current situation, then, is that California and Quebec both use carrot (rebates) and stick (ZEV mandate); BC says it'll keep carrot until we hit 5% ZEV market share; SFU and others note stick is more cost-effective. I favour carefully calibrated carrot-and-stick.
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC 14/ In many parts of BC, you need a pickup truck; and plug-in options are coming (Ford's plug-in F150 will arrive, late 2020). My submission to the province's Clean Growth Strategy proposed maintaining rebate levels until plug-in pickups arrive. engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/si…
@tomfletcherbc @Tesla_Canada @NCDA_BC end/ Oops, forgot to note what I'd originally intended to write. 😀
ZEV (BEV+PHEV+FCEV) market share data in first half of 2018:
California ~ 6.1%
BC ~ 3.5%
Only BEV+FCEV market share data in first half of 2018:
California ~ 3.2%
BC ~ 2.1%
ZEV (BEV+PHEV+FCEV) market share data in first half of 2018:
California ~ 6.1%
BC ~ 3.5%
Only BEV+FCEV market share data in first half of 2018:
California ~ 3.2%
BC ~ 2.1%
