Electric vehicle tariffs from China just collapsed from 100% to a quota system. You’re looking at 50,000 new vehicles entering Canada annually at prices domestic manufacturers can’t match. Your government chose affordability over protectionism. Now you get to choose which matters more: your wallet or where the technology comes from.

Why do plug-in hybrid owners never plug in? Lorraine Sommerfeld cites industry studies showing people haul two complete power systems and burn gasoline anyway. The consequence: wasted efficiency, extra weight, pointless infrastructure. She points out Canada already brought in 44,000 Chinese-made Teslas in 2023. The new cap for all Chinese EVs? 49,000. The math doesn’t add up, but the market doesn’t care.

Discover why licensing partnerships might reshape North American manufacturing. Learn what worked when Canada forced Japanese automakers to build domestically in 1981. Understand why every car already tracks you, regardless of where it’s built.

GUEST: Lorraine Sommerfeld | http://driving.ca

Originally aired on2026-01-19