No municipalities are actively encouraging the use of electric vehicles. The City of Ottawa has even indicated that it would charge more to establish a parking space for an electric vehicle than it does for gasoline-powered vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa sponsors an Electrathon event on an annual basis, and the Faculty of Education at Queen's University has hosted the Great Electric Car Race for several years. Canada uses high-sulfur gasolines, and Ontario's has the highest sulfur content in all of Canada. This sulfur becomes sulfur-oxides when burned in internal combustion engines, a major component of air pollution.
Heavier vehicles use more fuel, and produce more pollution.
That cost will rise as emission controls become more stringent. In gasoline figures, the emission control cost does not include the engine or the conventional parts of the exhaust system. If clean air and affordable vehicles are among the goals, clearly gasoline engines are not part of the right answer. We all share the same atmosphere. If we are producing the vehicles, the batteries, the other components, then we will be able to sell them to the world in the coming years.