Differences in Canadian consumers’ awareness and preferences for zero-emissions vehicles from 2013 to 2023

Goals to sell only zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) by the 2030s require substantial changes in consumers’ vehicle purchases over the next decade. Anticipating this transition, we investigate differences in consumer ZEV awareness and preferences over the last decade using cross-sectional samples of Canadian new-vehicle buyers from 2013 (n = 1,754), 2017 (n = 2,123), and 2023 (n = 2,555). Some measures of awareness significantly increased from 2013 to 2023, including familiarity and experience with ZEV technology, understanding of how to “fuel” battery electric vehicles, and awareness of public chargers. However, higher rates of confusion about hybrids and plug-in hybrids persist. Consumer preferences for ZEV drivetrains appear mostly unchanged over the study period, while valuations of home and fast charging have significantly increased in 2023. In short, consumers’ ZEV valuations are slow to change even with increased awareness and experience; preference change does not explain past ZEV sales increases, nor should it be relied upon to drive future sales increases.