By 2035, Canada will mandate that all newly manufactured cars produce zero emissions in an effort to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.
On Tuesday, the federal government’s Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced a plan that would mandate auto manufacturers to increase the percentage of fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles sold in the future.
According to him, we are currently at a critical turning point. He also mentioned that there has been a higher demand for electric vehicles in Canada than the supply that was available.
By 2026, 20% of vehicles sold must be fully electric or plug-in hybrids under the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard. This percentage will rise to 60% by 2030, and by 2035 all vehicles sold in Canada must be zero-emission. However, emergency vehicles will be excluded from this requirement.
Car companies that do not meet the minimum requirement for vehicle sales according to the law can purchase credits, valued at C$20,000 (£11,800) each, from other manufacturers who have met or exceeded their targets or have invested in building charging stations. Companies can only use a maximum of 10% of these credits towards meeting their overall compliance.
The car manufacturing sector has opposed the regulations, claiming that the objectives set by Ottawa are unattainable due to the expensive nature of electric vehicles and the inconsistent availability of charging stations throughout the nation. To address worries, plug-in hybrids that can run for a minimum of 80km on electric power before switching to traditional fuels will be permitted for sale as zero-emission vehicles.
The regulations, initially introduced in 2021 and revised on Tuesday, demonstrate an effort by the national government to align with European countries and the US in response to environmental organizations. These countries have implemented different regulations for sales or emissions in order to promote the adoption of electric vehicles. The current plan of the European Union aims to reduce automotive emissions by 55% from 2021 levels by 2030 and to achieve zero emissions by 2035.
According to current sales data, Canada still has a significant amount of progress to make in order to reach its goals.
According to recent data from Statistics Canada, approximately 10% of new vehicles sold in the first nine months of this year were electric. This falls short of the 2026 mandate, which requires at least half of new vehicles to be electric.
However, in areas where the proposed federal regulations are already in place, the numbers are significantly higher. In the year 2020, both Quebec and British Columbia implemented laws setting sales goals for zero-emission vehicles and successfully surpassed those goals, well ahead of schedule.
According to Statistics Canada, in Quebec, electric cars make up 20% of new car purchases, while in British Columbia, the percentage increases to 25%.
The two provinces, which offer extra financial benefits to purchasers, achieved their goals earlier than expected. In 2018, Ontario, the biggest car market in the nation, discontinued its provincial incentives after premier Doug Ford was elected.
Recently, Canada has also declared significant financial aid for the construction of battery-manufacturing facilities. As stated by the parliamentary budget officer, the support for Northvolt, Stellantis, and Volkswagen’s battery factories will amount to C$43.6bn ($32.7) by 2033.
Source: theguardian.com
