Until unsubsidized EVs become competitive with traditionally powered cars they won't be a dominant form of personal transport

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The electric car is widely seen as a simple, clean solution to climate change. In reality, it’s inefficient, relies on massive subsidies and leaves behind a trail of pollution and death that is seldom acknowledged.

Climate activists and politicians constantly remind us that electric cars are cleaner, cheaper and better. Canada and many other countries have promised to prohibit the sale of new gas and diesel cars within a decade. But if electric cars are really so good, why would we need to ban the alternatives?

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And why has Canada needed to subsidize each electric car with a minimum $5,000 from the federal government and more from provincial governments? Many people are not sold on the idea of an electric car because they worry about having to carefully plan out where and when to recharge. They don’t want to wait a long time while re-charging. And they don’t want to pay a premium for an electric car whose used-car value declines much faster. For people not privileged to own their own house, recharging can be a real challenge. It’s therefore not surprising that surveys show only 15 per cent of Canadians and 11 per cent of Americans want to buy an electric car.

The main environmental selling point of electric cars is that they don’t pollute. But although it’s true their engines don’t produce CO₂ while driving, they do emit carbon in other ways. Manufacturing them generates emissions —........

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