Should you buy a used electric vehicle?
Shopping for a used EV? Brian Turner suggests some things to keep in mind.
As more automakers are getting into electrification, the interest in this alternative propulsion system is growing, as is the charging station infrastructure across the country. Between battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), there are now 40 different models available to Canadian consumers. While they still account for only a small percentage of the total fleet on the road today, their growth in sales can’t be ignored — more than 37,000 BEVs and PHEVs have been sold in Canada.
Consider that in all of 2013, just 1,600 BEVs and PHEVs rolled off dealership lots and at the end of the second quarter of this year, that number has grown to 4,659 (with the split between the two groups being approximately 50/50). Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia account for the lion’s share of the market, with la belle province’s EV/PHEV units hitting a 1.2 per cent total of all vehicles sold.
As driving ranges increase for EVs, more consumers are considering them for secondary or primary transportation and some are looking to the pre-owned marketplace for their shopping. But along with the usual checklist for a gas-powered used vehicle, there are a few things to consider that only apply to EVs.
The first is any provincial purchase incentive or rebate. Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec offer these rebates with Ontario providing the biggest ones, up to $14,000. However, they are only available on new purchases or leases, so buying a pre-owned EV leaves you out of the program. On a base, 2018 Nissan Leaf, for example this can take $14,000 off of the $36,000 sticker price. You need to keep these figures in mind when pricing a used EV.
Ranges on EVs can degrade with battery age and usage. All of the several different types of lithium and nickel drive batteries used in EV design have a finite number of recharge cycles before their performance drops off dramatically. When you start with a range under 300 kilometres and add Canadian winter temperatures into the equation, you want to be sure the drive batteries are in still in good condition.
The state of these units can be somewhat determined by accumulated distance on the vehicle, but some EV owners put their rides to work in stationary modes, such as supplying electrical power to households in outage emergencies.
Be prepared to take a slightly longer road test than you would with a gas-powered vehicle. Ask your potential seller to have the EV fully charged and then complete at least a 50-km circuit and use the instrument-panel readout to gauge the true battery range.