Ontario couple says new electric vehicle's charge capacity 'nowhere near' what was advertised

An Ontario couple says they've been hit with unexpected costs after their new electric vehicle's ability to sustain a charge is 'nowhere near' what was advertised.

"My wife took a job up in Barrie, Ont., and she has to commute 100 kilometers each way and we were paying over $1,000 in gas," Jack Fleming, of Etobicoke, Ont., told CTV News Toronto Monday.

Fleming said before buying an all-electric Volvo C40 Recharge, he checked the vehicle’s range, which was advertised as 364 km on a full charge.

"Even if it didn't hit that if it hit 300 km or 275 km, we just need enough to drive 100 km with a bit of a safety margin, so she doesn’t have to worry she won’t make it home,” Fleming explained.

Fleming says he made the $72,000 purchase in November and that it wasn’t long after that he and his wife became concerned about the distance the car was travelling on each charge.

“We are only getting about 225 km per charge – nowhere near what they’re advertising,” Fleming said. “That's like 60 per cent of what they are advertising.”

In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Volvo Canada said it stands behind the advertised ranges of its electric vehicles.

Lucas Dias, with Volvo’s corporate and media communications team, said in a statement that the company “strives to work with customers to resolve all vehicle concerns.”

“We stand behind the quality and advertised ranges of our Recharge vehicles, which are based on NRCAN and EPA estimates,” Dias said. “As with all cars powered by an electric battery, the actual range will vary for many reasons, including but not limited to, driving conditions, temperature, how and where customers drive, road conditions, powered accessories and other factors.

There is a major push underway to get Canadians to buy electric vehicles, but a new survey finds that some Canadians still have concerns when it comes to range anxiety.

"The interest (in electric vehicles) has declined compared to last year, but we still believe the demand is still pretty strong,” Baris Akyurek, Vice President of Marketing Intelligence with Autotrader, said.

Autotrader conducted its third annual survey asking Canadians if they would buy an electric vehicle – this year, 56 per cent said yes, a drop from 2021 in which 68 per cent said they would.

The main reason many Canadians plan to wait to go electric is the fear of running out of battery power.

"Limited range was the number one reason. 76 per cent of consumers said that was the top reason,” Akyurek said.

Meanwhile, Fleming said he is concerned over the added expense as his wife has to use their gasoline-powered car or pay additional charging costs to work in Barrie. Fleming said she also remains concerned she could run out of power before she gets home.

"If I was driving this car around town that would be one thing, it would be great, but that's not what we need it for and that’s not why we bought it,” she said.

On April 5, Volvo announced plans to give its electric vehicles an upgrade to improve range and efficiency. The changes should allow the cars to go farther and recharge faster, according to the company.