Would you buy an affordable EV made in China?

As the federal government mulls whether to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, some Canadians say they would jump at the chance to buy a cheaper EV manufactured in that country.

Ottawa held a month-long consultation in July on how to handle Beijing's powerful presence in the EV sector. Tariffs are among the options on the table.

Michael Wawrykowicz, who lives in Edmonton, uses a small Mitsubishi EV he bought second-hand four years ago for short trips around the city.

"For commuting, it's been great," he said in an interview, adding that maintenance costs have been minimal. "In the past couple of years, I've only bought tires and washer fluid for it, and I plug it into the block heater at work."

Wawrykowicz said he would be keen to buy an electric vehicle from China with improved range, if the price was right.

BYD, a Chinese car manufacturing giant, debuted its Seagull EV last year at a starting price of about $14,600 Cdn for a 305-kilometre-range version. The cheapest options available in Canada, by contrast, start at roughly $38,000.

Wawrykowicz was among the callers on CBC's Cross Country Checkup on Sunday in favour of lower-cost EV options from China.

Barbara MacLellan, who lives in Colwood, B.C., bought her first EV more than a decade ago and has been championing them ever since. She told the radio program that an influx of Chinese vehicles would help spur competition in Canada.

"The problem has been that legacy automakers have not stepped up to the plate on this," MacLellan said. "It's not early days. We are late to this. We are seeing the climate change now."

Others were opposed to opening the market to Chinese EVs, expressing safety concerns or citing China's human rights record.

Morgan Whittall, a paramedic in Barrie, Ont., argued it doesn't make sense to buy an EV from a country with such poor environmental policies.

"You're not really getting what you're paying for when you're saying, 'I'm doing this for climate change,' but you're buying it from a place that really isn't considering how their process is affecting the climate," he said.

The Finance Department's consultation period wrapped up Aug. 1.

The consultation also included consideration of whether vehicles made in China should be eligible for federal incentives for zero-emission vehicles, such as the rebates of up to $5,000 available to Canadians who buy or lease an EV.