Used Electric Vehicles – Affordable and Available

June 19, 2019-PnD

Written by Cara Clairman, President and CEO, Plug’n Drive

 

I have pretty exciting news for everyone who thought they couldn’t afford an EV… Yes, you can!
At Plug’n Drive, we have lots of visitors come to the EV Discovery Centre, waxing poetic about electric cars, that they are the future of transportation, but they are too expensive and out of reach for most consumers. There are a lot of myths in this one line that I want to break down.

When we surveyed 1,000 gas car owners in the Greater-Toronto and Hamilton Area last year, we learned that cost is the number one barrier to purchasing an EV.  Many gas car owners believe that EVs are just too expensive. While we don’t know all the reasons for this view, we suspect at least some of it comes from Tesla. Now, Tesla makes amazing cars and has done a fantastic job raising awareness of EVs, but their products don’t come cheap and that has fueled the view that electric cars = Tesla and Tesla is expensive so electric cars are expensive.

Nothing could be further from the truth! People often are not aware of the 40+ makes and models from a variety of manufacturers with a wide range of price points. We now also have Canada’s $5,000 federal electric vehicle incentive, which makes a new EV even more attractive. Not to mention the cost savings associated with driving an electric car. Electricity is about one quarter the price of gasoline here in Ontario and with virtually no maintenance, EV drivers easily save about $2,000 per year. These are all good points to defeat the “EVs are too expensive” myth.

 

However, the one thing that almost everyone seems to miss is the amazing opportunity to buy used. Yes, used! There is a surprisingly wide variety of used EVs on the market (check Kijiji and autoTRADER) with prices as low as $10,000!

On top of these great prices and good availability, Plug’n Drive – in partnership with the Clean Air Partnership and supported by the M. H. Brigham Foundation – is offering a privately funded used electric vehicle incentive. If you come to one of our used EV 101 seminars at the EV Discovery Centre or an EV Roadshow event across Ontario and test drive an EV, you are qualified to receive $1,000 on your next used electric car purchase. It doesn’t matter where within Ontario you buy it – privately or from a dealership – all that matters is that you buy an EV and join the EV driving community.

The number one response we hear from people when they learn of this program is, “Wow! I never thought of used.” In less than two months, we have had more than 40 people take all the steps to fully qualify for the incentive. If you are thinking about a used EV – don’t wait! Our incentive won’t last forever.

If you are one of those people who might say, “EVs are the future” – I want to tell you, yes, you’re right, but they’re also right now. If you can’t find the EV you want online, Plug’n Drive is working with the start-up organization, Electric Vehicle Network, and they can help you find the used EV that is just right for you.

So the next time one of your colleagues, family members or friends says that “EVs are great, but they’re too expensive” – remind them about used and send them to Plug’n Drive. We want to get the word out that EVs really are for EVeryone.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE USED EV INCENTIVE PROGRAM, VISIT PLUGNDRIVE.CA/USED-ELECTRIC-VEHICLES

Used, Electric Vehicle, Electric Car, Incentive