Good question. You actually need to look at the short-term costs and how they're broken down over time. I'll give you a prime example.
Sometimes, municipalities can't afford to follow provincial or federal government policies. In the specific case of transportation electrification, everyone wins. In other words, the more electric vehicles come on the market, the more competitive they become. The total cost of electric vehicle ownership makes the vehicles competitive and turns them into an investment.
I wrote a book on this topic, which was published last week. In the book, I emphasize how this amounts to an investment for a person, for a municipality, and for a government as well.
I've spoken with officials in several municipalities, both large and small. They realize that the total cost of ownership is attractive because they're lowering their energy, health care and maintenance costs. The initial investment may be higher, but as electric vehicles go on the road, the vehicles are getting cheaper and cheaper. That's where the appeal lies, whether the vehicle is a light-duty vehicle, a bus or a heavy-duty vehicle. You must look at the matter from a total cost of ownership perspective.