Coal-Rollers No More: most Albertans plan to switch to EVs, says report

Alberta's electric vehicle uptake is expected to skyrocket over next decade

Elliot Alder

Mar 18, 2021 • May 20, 2021 • 2 minute read • Join the conversation

Photo by Rivian

A new survey from KPMG shows 54 per cent of Albert ans expect their next vehicle purchase is likely or very likely to be electric .

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Though still lagging behind the national average of 68 per cent, that more than half the population of Canada’s most oil – bound province is poised to mak e the turn marks a noteworthy shift .

According to a report from CTV News Calgary , Alberta averaged just shy of 223,000 annual new-vehicle purchases over the past four years. Extrapolated forward with a static 54 per cent share , that should put more than 600,000 new EVs on Alberta roads in the next five years. Factor in greater EV exposure, acceptance, innovation, and suburbanites’ need to keep up with the Joneses, and th at 54 per cent is all but certain to grow.

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So, what about infrastructure? With so many mountain and glacial flows naturally churning along , Canada’s western provinces are already cap italizing on their surplus of hydroelectric opportunities . Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is confident the province’s power grid will be able to meet demand, though they note local distributors will likely be forced to upgrade local transformers and infrastructure to handle residential delivery.

CTV quotes an ENMAX VP as warning that “we could have the potential to overload residential-area transformers, with just as many as two to three EV chargers plugged in charging at the same time in the same neighbourhood.” Given that 80 -plus-per-cent of EV owners charge at home (usually in the hours shortly after work), r esearch programs are underway to assess needs and strategies that might help to meet them. Rapid infrastructure growth seems necessarily inevitable, but exploring smart er management strategies could pay serious dividends down the line.