Few women actually own electric vehicles, despite making the vast majority of car-purchasing decisions

Facilitating accessible information about electric vehicles helps to promote ownership among women, says Cara Clairman, chief executive officer of Plug'nDrive. CREDIT: CARA CLAIRMAN

ALYSSA MARKS

As worries surrounding climate change grow and the public becomes more concerned about environmental issues, consumers are making changes to their daily lives to live more sustainably.

Since the transportation sector is one of the main industries responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, many individuals have chosen to opt for electric vehicles (EVs).

However, there is a gender imbalance when it comes to EV ownership. According to NPR, decisions about which automobile to purchase are predominantly—85 per cent—made by women. Yet, women are four times less likely to own an EV than men, reports Jalopnik.com, a news and opinion website about transportation and the automotive industry.

But there is good news; as the automotive industry realizes the power of women buyers, there has been a slow push to make EV purchases more accessible to women. With this, more women are making the greener switch.

On March 8, eMERGE Guelph hosted a panel called Women’s EV Night. The event was a women-led information night about EVs where attendees heard from local EV owners and experts. The goal of the panel was to normalize EV ownership by women and make information about EVs more accessible.

The panel discussed the environmental benefits of EVs. For example, it was mentioned that every EV that is purchased reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than four tonnes per year. They also emit 90 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions than a gas or diesel vehicle.

“There was a study that came out in the Greater Toronto Area that suggested that if we were to switch to EVs there would be a huge public health benefit. We are all breathing the smog that is produced by cars, and so it would be better for all of our health if we were to make the switch,” said Cara Clairman, chief executive officer of Plug’nDrive, to The Ontarion.

Plug’nDrive is a non-profit organization that offers unbiased information about EVs and hybrid vehicles. They own and operate information centres and road shows that are committed to delivering accessible experiential learning. Clairman has over 20 years of experience working in the environmental and sustainability sectors, and offers expert knowledge when it comes to all things EV.

The panel spoke about the fact that EVs were at first thought to attract women buyers, as women tend to be earlier adopters of environmentalism than men. Subsequently, there are no scientific studies to confirm why women are less likely to be owners of an EV than men.

However, there may be a few possible explanations.

For starters, the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states that women statistically do not drive as much as men do. Moreover, the Statista Research Department reports that American men are more likely to own multiple vehicles. News Editor Elizabeth Blackstock on Jalopnik.com writes that the more cars a person owns, or the more people drive, the more likely they are to buy and keep an EV.

These differences in vehicle ownership and driving habits only account for part of the picture, and researchers have yet to pursue a study that fully investigates the reasons why women are less likely to be owners of EVs.

“I think early adopters [of EVs] tend to be men because of the cool technology, and with the majority of engineers and IT people being men, it attracted them more,” said Clairman.

“As we move away from the early adopter crowd, we are beginning to see more and more women purchasing EVs.”

Clairman said that as EV model options continue to expand, she thinks that women will be more likely to consider purchasing them.

Having more models available will “let women know that [EVs] can suit their lifestyle, especially those who are thinking about the practicality of them,” she adds.

Clairman also suggested that educating people about the money-saving benefits of EV ownership could open up the EV market to many new buyers.

“They save a lot of money, which I think many people fail to realize because the upfront sticker price is a little bit more . . . but because the fuel is so much cheaper, you really save over time. I think that is the message that we need to do a better job at explaining,” she said.

When it comes to the initial shock of the upfront price of EVs, Clairman suggests people opt for used EVs.

There are also ways to calculate the best EV match based on price, model, and lifestyle, such as the vehicle finder tool on the Plugn’Drive website. Offering helpful tools such as these will help with making EVs more accessible and inclusive.

There are also government incentive programs, both federal and provincial, intended to help push consumers to make the switch to EVs.

These incentives vary from province to province, but the federal government has a program called the Incentives for Zero Emission Vehicles Program (iZEV). Launched in May 2019, the program offers those who have purchased or leased an eligible EV up to $5,000 in incentives.

“There are also provincial incentives that can be stacked on top of the federal incentives. These basically take away that upfront cost,” said Clairman.

“Though Ontario does not have that right now. So, that makes a big difference. . . The previous government had that incentive, but the Ford government got rid of it. So, many people have encouraged them to bring that back, and it would definitely make a difference if they did.”

If you are interested in learning more about EVs, visit the Plugn’Drive website, where you can find accessible and easy-to-understand information about purchasing and owning EVs.