A lack of vehicle availability and charging infrastructure is slowing down the federal government’s efforts to transition its fleet to electric vehicles, according to a memo to the deputy minister of natural resources that Canada’s National Observer obtained through a federal access-to-information request.
Currently, there are limited ZEV options for the larger vehicles that make up the majority of the federal government’s light-duty conventional fleet, such as vans, pickup trucks and large SUVs, according to an emailed statement from Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Natural Resources Canada.
“Most ZEVs currently have lead times in the range of six to nine months, with some exceptions beyond nine months due to industry supply issues,” it explained. “We expect a return to more conventional lead times as industry resolves supply constraints.” From April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, just over 72 per cent of new unmodified vehicles purchased by the federal government were hybrid electric and zero-emission vehicles. This fell just short of the 75 per cent federal goal that existed at that time.