You could, perhaps, get an Ioniq Hybrid for around $25,000.
And Full EV will run you north of $40,000. Most are north of $50,000 and a Plug-In Hybrid will run you around $30-$40.
Those prices are too high for your average commuter. Drive.
yes, its true... many/most EVs are very expensive. (Although I think you're wrong about the cost of a full EV... for example, the Tesla 3 is an all electric vehicle that is expected to cost ~$35,000 Canadian, not "North of $40,000".) And as I pointed out, the Hyundai Ioniq is not "$30-40,000", it is ~$25,000.
https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/blog/35000-tesla-model-3-available-nowBut, consider this: There has been a general shift away from small cars/sedans into larger vehicles (such as SUVs and trucks) over the past decade. It has gotten to the point where some car manufacturers (such as Ford) will no longer be selling sedans in the north american market. And bigger vehicles cost more. While the cheapest SUV I could find was around ~$20,000, most were in the $25,000 range or more, with many costing over $30,000. Supposedly the best selling SUV right now in Canada is the Honda CR-V, with a suggested retail price of over $28,000.)
So your 'average commuter' doesn't seem to be as interested in going cheap as they were in the past. They seem to be willing to spend money. If you compare the cost of hybrid/electric vehicles with what people are actually buying (as compared to what they could buy), the prices are really not that far out of line.
Now, does that mean people will rush out and buy electric vehicles and hybrids? No, because when it comes to vehicles, people are prone to making bad decisions. They buy big vehicles when small one might have suited their needs, and then grumble over the price of gas, or the cost of maintenance. They pay more attention to initial sales rather than long term costs. Electric vehicles do have barriers to widespread adoption, but much of that has nothing to do with price.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/small-cars-trucks-suvs-1.4644725https://driving.ca/bodystyle/suvAnd Dealers aren't yet given the same incentives to sell them as they are with other cars with higher margins like 0% financing. The whole point of buying a new car is getting a lower interest rate. Might as well buy a used car.
The Hyundai Ioniq currently has a 0% financing deal with Hyundai.
Kia offers an 8 year warranty on EV components (more than its 5 year powertrain warranty on their other cars).
And the financing available on the Honda Accord Hybrid is 2.99%, which is lower than the financing on there Accord LX (4.99%).
So yes, dealers do sometimes offer incentives on EV and hybrids, that are comparable to the incentives offered on traditional vehicles.
And of course there are also things like government incentives.
And even in the case where you could afford a PHEV or an EV, Good luck finding a dealer to have one in stock for you to Test Drive.
Yes, some electric vehicle manufacturers (such as Tesla) have trouble meeting demand for orders. But not all manufacturers have the same problem.