(Ottawa) The Corporation of Automobile Retailers Associations expresses concerns about the affordability of electric vehicles and the lack of charging infrastructure.

She judges that the objectives of regulated sales of zero-emission vehicles are not achievable without more muscular government intervention to improve the affordability of vehicles and compensate for the lack of charging stations.

The federal government has set sales targets for the number of electric vehicles among new light vehicle purchases at 20% by 2026, and 100% by 2035.

Association president Tim Reuss says high interest rates and inflation are hampering consumers’ ability to buy new cars, as evidenced by rising inventory at dealerships.

For his part, Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, says the federal government must offer more generous purchasing incentives, a vast public charging network and improvements to the electricity network if we wants to succeed in welcoming a greater number of electric vehicles on the roads.