Gas price surge driving some to consider electric

The skyrocketing cost of gas has many drivers considering going electric.

Stewart Morris’s electric vehicle arrived three weeks ago. He says his original motivation was to help the environment.

“Fundamentally it was the green element, wanting to be environmentally friendly.”

But as gas prices hit record high prices this week, Morris says his Hyundai Ioniq 5 is helping him save money by avoiding sticker shock at the pumps.

“In hindsight it was a great time to buy it,” he said. “But that’s what it is all about. It is about long-term, and it is good for the environment and good for me not having fill up at the gas tank.”

Morris says electric vehicles can cost more, but he did the math and is saving money.

“It is more expensive to buy upfront, but over the long-term, people have done the calculation and it’s a lot cheaper.”

Since gas prices skyrocket, there has been a sudden demand for electric vehicles.

“We have noticed a huge increase in interest,” says Raymond Leury, with the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa.

“We have seen a major increase in demand and interest in EV over the last six months, and we expect that to continue,” Leury said.

Leury says the main reason for the increase in demand is the price at the pumps.

“Most people are looking at cost, so the price of gas is really driving demand,” he said. “Every time they go to the pump, they see how much it is costing them so it is a regular reminder that they could be saving money if they are driving an EV.”

But Leury says the biggest issue with electric vehicles is the lack of supply. People might have to wait months before they can drive one.  

“It depends on which manufacturer you are ordering from,” Leury says. “If you look at some specific models like the Volkswagen ID.4, the wait time is around a year.”

Dong Ngo is looking to buy a car and is debating buying electric.

“We are looking at the long-run impact of these gas prices. It’s such a variable what’s going to happen. At least with an electric car you have stability of how much it is going to cost to charge it up.”

Ngo says it is tough to make the best decision that supports a budget, and lifestyle.

“It is so stressful. We have supply chain issues, the used car market is not where it used to be, it is very tough. And then you had in those gas prices and it’s just an additional stress – it is definitely tough.”