Thread by @ElectronComm

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 1/ Hi Blair, I find many (most?) of your analyses thorough and commendable. In this one case, your source data is a bit off. If you have a garage, buying + installing a Level 2 charging station will probably cost $1500 ballpark. Some folks (me!) just use a wall outlet.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 2/ That's based on roughly 500-ish detached home incentives Plug In BC distributed in 2018. Avg cost for apartments / condos is a lot higher. Now, EVs *do* remain more expensive than combustion vehicles. No denying that.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 3/ I think the avg Canadian new car retails for ~$35k?
The avg ("mean") EV sold in Canada in 2018 had an MSRP of maybe $48-$50k.
(I've only done a quick estimate.) That's pushed up by Tesla sales.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 4: 2/3 of ZEVs sold in Canada in 2018 had an MSRP of $45,000 or below. Still on the expensive side, absolutely. Incentives will help. Monthly gas savings too.
Fed rebates apply to vehicles with base model MSRP <$45,000. Higher trims for these vehicles qualify up to $55,000.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 5/ BC incentives apply to vehicles with an MSRP <$77,000.
Now that Tesla [leveraged / gamed] incentives by releasing a $44,999 Model 3 with 150 km range (on par with a 2011 Nissan Leaf) the $53,700 Model 3 qualifies for federal (and provincial) rebates.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 6/ This means that 80% of ZEVs sold in Canada in 2018 would have qualified for a federal rebate. And here in BC, a provincial rebate too.
So: EVs do remain more expensive -- your cited $50k wasn't far off! -- but 2/3 of sales were <$45k.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 7/ one thing city folk like me desperately need to remember is that there's not much in the way of minivan, large SUV and truck selection. Your family probably isn't downsizing to a $37k (before $10k incentives) Nissan Leaf...!

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 8/ For people in Dr. Weaver's riding (city of Victoria?) there's a wealth of ZEV options for the types of cars his constituents probably drive. Not necessarily so for folks in suburban / exurban / rural ridings.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 9/ that selection is coming, but much bigger vehicles need ... much bigger batteries. So sticker price parity is further. They consume more fuel though, so fuel savings should be much larger. $1500+ per year?

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 10/ in Metro Van the avg combustion vehicle pays ~$450/year in combined fuel + transit taxes. I'm in the minority of ZEV owners thinking we're better off paying something sooner, than risk right-wing populism later.
[Keyboard warriors: that's my opinion, not my employer's...]

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 11/ even paying a full complement of those taxes, "fuelling" cost for EVs remains far lower. (Hydrogen is probably roughly comparable.) Much savings to be had.
But it's not convenient for everyone, as you've pointed out.

@BlairKing_ca @steeletalk @BCGreens @AJWVictoriaBC 12/ So, it's the job of ZEV advocates to patiently, persistently work to bring barriers down for *everyone*, not just our own segment of the car-buying market. 😅
Which means more time working and less time tweeting. Advice I shall now follow. 😉