The NL Automobile Dealers Association says new federal regulations that called for completely phasing out the sale of new internal combustion cars, trucks and SUVs by 2035 will reduce the infrastructure that needs to be in place for car sales. He said that it does not seem to have taken into consideration. That means success.
Executive director Marian Templeton said Canada has a vast geography and accommodating electric vehicles requires a lot of infrastructure in remote areas.
Newfoundland and Labrador also needs more charging stations in remote and convenient locations to keep people mobile. “I don’t think they really thought about what it would take to achieve these goals.”
As an example, Templeton said there are currently no public fast-charging stations in the east end of St. John’s, and the closest charging station to the intersection of Portugal Cove Road and the Higgins Line is in Paradise.
She says if you’re driving from St. John’s to Port aux Basques, there are charging stations available, but you’ll have a hard time finding a spot because there aren’t that many electric cars along the road. However, more vehicles will need to be charged. It is scheduled to be introduced as the number of electric vehicles increases.
She says there needs to be greater interest and more funding to get charging stations up and running by 2035.