Since moving to Vancouver Island, I’ve noticed a few things: I’m happier, I need birkenstocks, and there’s a whole lot of Teslas driving around.
And I’ve been proven wrong on a couple of those, but I was right in thinking there are a lot of Teslas on the streets of Victoria.
According to Electric Autonomy, BC had the largest Zero-emission Vehicles (ZEV) market share in Canada in 2020.
In 2020, ZEV sales in Canada saw significant gains in the third quarter of 2020, with 18,771 new vehicles registered across Canada between July and September, according to data just made available by Statistics Canada. That number, which is more than twice the 9,069 vehicles sold in the previous quarter, consists of 67.1 per cent battery electric vehicles and 32.9 per cent plug-in hybrid vehicles.
In saying that, it doesn’t explain why we have more.
Is it because of the weather, or climate change?
After the record-breaking gas prices earlier this month, perhaps it’s cost-effective in the long run?
While there’s no definitive answer, a Reddit post tried to determine why its users think there’s more Teslas on the Island which drew in several key possibilities.
Rebate
The CleanBC Go Electric light-duty vehicle is great for anyone with an electric car, which means, Tesla owners!
The program provides point-of-purchase rebates on eligible passenger vehicles of up to
$3,000 for the purchase or lease of a new battery electric vehicle, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, or longer-range plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and $1,500 for the purchase or lease of a shorter-range plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
Unfortunately, for any big spenders, the provincial government has established a vehicle price cap.
Any ZEV with a manufacturer suggested retail price above $55,000 is not eligible for a vehicle rebate.
On that premise, the only Tesla’s that one could get the rebate for is the Tesla Model 3, according to the Canadian government ZEV index here.
Cost
While purchasing a Tesla may not seem cost-efficient at first, many said that savings come over time.
Because Teslas are electric cars, there’s no need to pay at the pump, which is a welcome thought considering the recent surge of BC gas prices.
With Teslas becoming that much more common on Vancouver Island, it’s becoming more popular to see charging stations, especially in the Greater Victoria area.
But maintenance, and what that means is a different story.
Reddit user YaztromoX pointed out that if you look at routine maintenance, then an EV is going to be quite a bit cheaper than a gas vehicle.
“There are no regular oil changes, no transmission fluid changes, and the under-the-hood systems are mechanically simpler than in an ICE vehicle. I suspect this is what GP was referring to,” their post read.
“If you’re looking at non-routine maintenance, these vehicles have some pretty expensive and complex electronic systems that can be expensive to repair when things go wrong outside the realm of standard routine maintenance.”
Weather
Obviously, the better the weather we have, the more luxury cars Vancouver Island will see.
And in saying that, the better the weather there is, the higher the cost of living.
Therefore, the more rich people you will come across and the more luxury vehicles you will see.
Quite the ripple effect.
Reddit user Marijuana_Miller shared their input stating, “Two reasons why: people have money here so they can afford a 50K-80K dollar vehicle and gas is expensive.”
“Fuel operating costs are approximately 1/10th for a Tesla compared with a comparable gas vehicle. So when you factor driving expenses the cost drops quite a lot.”
“When I calculated the purchase at 335,000 KM compared with my gas vehicle, the car paid for itself. Additionally, the weather on the island makes it much easier to operate an electric vehicle year round as you don’t lose as much range when the weather gets cold,” the commenter continued.
While there’s no calculable way of knowing why there’s so many Teslas, all of these contributing factors have led to plenty of Teslas filling our streets, and are all viable options as to why owning a Tesla is so much more common on Vancouver Island.
So put the metal to the green metal and go!
