In this week's EV/AV report: Canada's new electric vehicle rebate program opens for business at the dealer level, a survey finds Canadian buyers are pumping the brakes on EV purchases, the U.S. government escalates its probe into Tesla's Full Self-Driving system, Uber and Rivian commit more than a billion dollars to a robotaxi fleet, General Motors idles its flagship EV plant and a mass Baidu robotaxi stoppage clogs streets in China.
Rebates at the Till
Canada's Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP) — administered by Transport Canada, the federal department responsible for transportation policy — opened its dealer portal on March 31, allowing enrolled sellers to begin filing claims for EVs purchased or leased on or after Feb. 16.
The program offers up to $5,000 on battery-electric and fuel-cell models and up to $2,500 on plug-in hybrids, and applies to transactions of $50,000 or less. There is no price cap on Canadian-made EVs.
Pumping the Brakes
Canadian EV buyers are growing more cautious, not more confident. EY Canada — the Canadian arm of global professional services firm Ernst & Young — reported March 19 that 30% of prospective EV buyers in Canada are reconsidering or postponing their purchase, based on its annual Mobility Consumer Index survey. Battery-electric vehicle preference has dropped to 7% from 15% a year earlier, while preference for conventional internal combustion engine vehicles has climbed to 58% from 44%.
The friction points are familiar ones: upfront purchase cost is cited by 32% of those leaning toward ICE vehicles, public charger quality or interoperability by 28%, and difficulty locating charging stations by 38%. Jennifer Rogers, EY Canada's automotive and transportation leader, said the transition is becoming "more pragmatic" — consumers still care about fuel costs and the environment, but are now asking harder questions about affordability, charging reliability and the day-to-day ownership experience.
Probe Escalated
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — the federal agency responsible for vehicle safety regulation — upgraded its investigation into 3.2 million Tesla vehicles on March 19, moving to an engineering analysis over concerns that the California-based automaker's Full Self-Driving system may fail to detect or warn drivers of poor visibility conditions. NHTSA cited nine reported incidents potentially linked to the issue, including one fatal crash and two injury crashes, and raised concerns that the system did not adequately detect conditions such as glare, dust or airborne obstructions or provide timely alerts as visibility deteriorated. Tesla did not immediately comment.
A Billion-Dollar Bet on Robotaxis
San Francisco-based Uber Technologies and Michigan-based electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive announced March 19 that Uber will invest up to US$1.25 billion through 2031 to support deployment of 10,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis in an initial phase, with the option to expand to 50,000 vehicles. Commercial operations are planned to begin in 2028, starting in San Francisco and Miami, with an eventual path to markets across the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Rivian founder and chief executive officer RJ Scaringe said the partnership will help accelerate the company's path to Level 4 autonomy — meaning the vehicle handles all driving tasks without human intervention — while Uber chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi described the targets as ambitious but achievable. A robotaxi fleet operating at that scale is not just a technology story. It is a durability, service and repair story. If the volumes materialize, the collision business will need to develop robotaxi-specific repair capabilities the same way it once had to learn EV high-voltage isolation and ADAS calibration.
Zero Production
General Motors — the Detroit-based automaker and one of Canada's largest vehicle suppliers — idled its Factory ZERO assembly plant in the Detroit area until April 13, extending downtime that began March 16 and temporarily affecting about 1,300 workers. Factory ZERO builds the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Hummer EV.
GM said it was temporarily adjusting production to align output with market demand — measured language for the harder reality that consumer uptake on these models has not kept pace with original projections.
Robotaxis on Strike
In what many first assumed to be an April Fools prank, police in Wuhan, China said a system failure caused more than 100 Apollo Go autonomous vehicles — operated by Beijing-based technology company Baidu — to stop in the middle of public roads simultaneously, snarling traffic across several city blocks.
Passengers exited safely and no injuries were reported, but the incident reignited public safety concerns because it disrupted a live commercial service rather than a closed test.
