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TORONTO \u2014 Rachel Doran, executive director at Clean Energy Canada, released a statement in response to the <\/em>announcement<\/em><\/a> of a suspension of the federal Fuel Excise Tax on gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPrime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a temporary pause on the federal Fuel Excise Tax as the first action of his now majority government. While this may be an understandable move, it will ultimately provide only temporary and minor relief when compared to the savings of going electric. It also comes just as consumers globally are rediscovering the benefits of leaving volatile gas prices behind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAcross the European Union<\/a> and numerous<\/a> countries<\/a> elsewhere<\/a>, observers have already seen interest in EVs multiply over the course of the last month. Searches for second-hand EVs in Germany roughly tripled<\/a> in the first 18 days of March, and sales of used EVs in the U.S. have risen 20% year over year<\/a> in the first quarter of 2026. Canadians are noticing too: according to online car retailer Clutch, online searches for EVs grew 94%<\/a> from January to late March this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs gas prices hit close to $2 per litre in many parts of Canada, Canadian households are looking for ways to make ends meet. Using 2025 gas prices, a new Clean Energy Canada study calculated<\/a> that a typical Canadian driver can save $23,000 to $32,000 over 10 years of ownership, or about $250 per month, by choosing an EV over a comparable gas vehicle. At the current national average gas price of $1.76\/L<\/a>, EVs would save an additional $7,000 over the vehicle lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn contrast, the removal of the Fuel Excise Tax between now and Labour Day will save the average gas car driver roughly $77, or $17 per month for less than five months (assuming about 7,700 kilometres are driven over that time with a fuel economy of 10 L\/100 km and that savings from the tax\u2019s removal are fully passed onto drivers). That\u2019s compared to $250 per month indefinitely for EV drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n