Electric vehicles: range anxiety not the factor it used to be
A few months ago, Canadians in the market for a new ride found it easy to choose good old gas-burning vehicles rather than new-fangled electric ones.
Actually, in the industry they’re not even called ‘electric’ anymore. They’re ZEVs, or Zero Emission Vehicles, the sales of which slumped in 2025 in Canada when federal and provincial subsidies and rebate programs ended. While not exactly calling it ZEV death, industry analysts were predicting sales would remain weak for years to come. Familiar bumps in the metaphorical road–where to charge, vehicle range, cost to buy–had resurfaced in a big way.
Those are still things to consider (more on that below). But it only took Donald Trump to make possibly the worst foreign policy blunder in U.S. history for Canadians to jump back onto the electric car bandwagon. Sales of vehicles you have to plug in rather than fill up have jumped in 2026, driven (if you’ll pardon the pun) by a big jump in gas prices, driven by Trump’s failure to bully Iran into opening the Straight of Hormuz, which had been open and free until Trump decided he felt like attacking Iran because he needed a foreign policy win because things aren’t looking so good for him at home. But let’s not digress.
If you’re feeling pump pain, but also experiencing ZEV sticker shock, it’s worth noting that in February the federal government introduced a rebate program (here’s where we sink into a swamp of abbreviations) called the EVAP (Electric Vehicle Affordability Program) which takes up to five grand off the price of Battery Electric (BEVs) & Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCEVs) and up to $2,500 off Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs). And you’ve got time–the EVAP is in place until 2031.
But even the federal government bribing (sorry, incentivizing) people with their own money can’t take away what many drivers feel about electric vehicles, and that’s range anxiety. It’s not a exactly a medical term, but it accurately captures what has been one of the biggest obstacles to going electric–uncertainty about how far a fully charged ZEV can take you. So, how far can they take you?
Generally speaking, 400 to 600 kilometres for mid-size sedans and trucks, a lot better than a few years ago, and really not much different than the range of vehicles powered by decomposed dinosaurs. Compact ZEVs built for the city might have a bit less range, and higher-end ZEVs like some Tesla models a bit more. Cold weather and how fast you like to drive will take that down a little.
And that nervous-making feeling watching your battery charge creeping toward zero? Will you be able to find a recharging station when you need one? The good news is finding an EV charging station is getting easier all the time, and it’s not hard to charge up around the Okanagan Valley. The District of Peachland offers one for public use at 4444 5th street, and two more at the municipal parking lot at 2nd Street and Waldo Way.
And on the highway you’ll find EV charging stations where no gas station dares to tread. If you’re heading to Vancouver, you can charge up at BC Hydro’s station at the Loon Lake rest area, in Merritt, at Britton Creek near the Coquihalla summit, and so on.
Also worth noting–BC’s building code requires almost all new residential buildings to be EV-ready. That means the building’s infrastructure is ready to install an EV charger when needed, quickly and relatively cheaply.
None of the above is likely to sway a gas-powered purist, especially people who started driving in the age of those beautiful muscle cars–Ford Mustangs, Dodge Chargers, Pontiac GTOs.
But Donald doesn’t look like he’s ready to abandon his Iranian misadventure anytime soon either.
