Electric Vehicle Parts Shortage: Forced to Reconnect to Gasoline

A Sherbrooke driver who bought an electric car was forced to quit, in spite of himself, due to a lack of spare parts that prevented his car from being repaired.

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Bernard Lussier hits the road every day to visit clients for his work. In order to save fuel, he bought an electric Kona in 2021, for more than $50,000.

However, less than a year after the acquisition, a part allowing the car to be connected to a fast charging station malfunctioned, to the point where he was no longer able to charge his car except at home, at a charging station. Meanwhile, the motorist had to reconnect to a gasoline car.

“It can cost me up to $50 a day in gas. I bought an electric car to avoid paying for gas… It’s money I didn’t include in my budget!”, a Sherbrooke resident explained.

The dealer cannot get a spare part for at least two months. And since it is always possible to recharge the car on a standard station, the garage does not offer any compensation despite the warranty.

Having bought his car last July, Mr. Lussier lamented that Hyundai Sherbrooke, he says, had done nothing to help him mitigate the extra costs caused by his harassment.

Huyndai Sherbrooke was joined by TVA Nouvelles on Tuesday, however it claimed to have offered a 100% electric courtesy car to its customers, an assertion refuted by Mr. Lussier.

For its part, the Motorists’ Protection Association considers that the replacement time should be reasonable.

They can take as long as they want, but there must be monetary compensation for gasoline. “He bought his car to save fuel!” said manager George Ene.

After the TVA call, Huyndai Sherbrooke contacted Bernard Lussier to find common ground. The two sides are scheduled to meet on Tuesday evening.