Canadian Electric Vehicle Technology Roadmap (evTRM)

Vision Statement

The industry vision of electric mobility in 2018 was developed by participants in the June 2008 workshop and subsequently refined by the evTRM steering committee. The central statement in the vision is as follows:

By 2018, there will be 500,000 highway-capable plug-in electric-drive vehicles on Canadian roads, as well as what may be a larger number of hybrid-electric vehicles. All these vehicles will have more Canadian content in parts and manufacture than vehicles on the road in Canada in 2008.

The vision includes other statements, mostly self-explanatory, as follows:

‘Highway-capable’ means that the plug-in electric-drive vehicles will operate within the current infrastructure on all roads and meet Canadian Motor Vehicles Safety Standards.

The overall performance of the plug-in electric-drive vehicles, including comfort and convenience, will meet or exceed that of current vehicles.  Key parameters of performance will be life-cycle energy use and environmental impacts. Atmospheric emissions of globally and locally acting substances per kilometre will provide the key indicators of environmental impact.

Preference will have been given to technologies that maximize the use of renewable energy.

The cost of ownership of plug-in electric-drive vehicles will be no greater that that of comparable vehicles powered only by internal combustion engines.

Fleet operators will be targeted as early adopters of the plug-in electric-drive vehicles.

Development and production of energy storage and electric components in Canada, and the assembly of new plug-in electric-drive vehicles, will have been advanced by the use of all relevant policy mechanisms.

Ultimately, all new on-road vehicles sold in Canada will have electric drives as the response to the environment, economic, social, and strategic necessity to move away from fossil fuels.