Maybe this topic gets a bit more traction. The Fed's plan is for all vehicles sold in Canada to be zero-emissions by 2035 . It is assumed that zero-emissions implies electric (EV's). That's 11 years away. Seems like a short timeline for any drastic change. There hasn't been any public consultation that I'm aware of. Seems like the government is once again telling us how to live our lives. As a car forum, you must have opinions on this! Personally not a fan. What say you?

Extended version: I have personally not bought into the electric vehicle philosophy for the following reasons:

First and foremost is that I personally enjoy the engagement of driving a (manual transmission) gasoline-powered car. It has a certain feel, provides certain feedback, sounds and smells a certain way. I also like working on them. It's a whole experience, and I think most of us car people would feel the same. I put this point first because our subjective enjoyment of the automobile experience is usually the most important factor in choosing a car, at least for our generation.

Secondly, the electric car has been advertised as a "green" choice, and I just don't buy that. I think it's a pure lie. It might seem green to the buyer, but the carbon footprint over the life of the car compared to a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) doesn't produce an advantage until several years into ownership, and by current technology standards, you may already be looking into battery replacements which sets back your carbon footprint. The mining of the materials is bad. The shipping of these materials back and forth is bad. To dispose of the materials is bad. That said, I fully expect there to be significant advances in battery technology which could reframe this point. Ultimately, I feel a lot of our "green policies" are just offsetting our pollutions to other parts of the world which is a pretty selfish approach.

Thirdly, the infrastructure will not be ready. We don't have the capacity to build the number of charging stations that would be required to meet the demands for a wholesale change to EVs. Could our power grid even support such a change? Has there been any analysis on the impact of increasing the number of significantly heavier vehicles on our already crumbling roads? What's our plan for battery disposal? What about reliability in extreme cold temps?

Finally, and this is my tinfoil hat story time, a lot of the tech built into these electric vehicles (and I assume all newer non-electric as well) is in my opinion, very intrusive to our privacy and freedom. We know Tesla's have their sentry mode (cameras and mics everywhere). We know these cars are connected like some kind of hive mind (that's how they get software updates). It's not hard for the car to be used as a tracking / surveillance device, or a control device to limit your movement / usage. Are we comfortable with this? There's already an example of the government controlling home temps when the grid couldn't handle it. You trust them to make these type of decision on your behalf? I don't like anyone telling me how to live me life.

All that said, I just believe in the freedom of choice. As long as people are properly informed, I fully support their right to choose. If you want a Tesla because you just never want to got to another gas station, or you like the look, or you love the torque, or you like that it can dance and fart, have at it! And while I'm currently opposed to EV's, I think they are probably a huge asset for delivery type vehicles in an urban settings. And in terms of pure efficiency, this TED Talk suggests hybrids are the best of both worlds. Until the battery technology and infrastructure improves, I tend to agree.