Tesla is calling on Canadian drivers to take action in support of the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS), a federal policy designed to ensure more electric vehicles (EVs) are available nationwide. The automaker sent out an email this week urging Canadians to join Electric Mobility Canada (EMC) in voicing concerns over potential government changes that could weaken the regulation.
Background on the EVAS
Introduced less than two years ago after extensive consultations, the EV Availability Standard requires automakers to steadily increase the share of electric vehicle sales in Canada. The rollout was designed to be gradual—targets for 2026 would have required only around 14% of new vehicle sales to be electric. Advocates say the standard is already influencing investment decisions around auto manufacturing, battery production, and charging infrastructure.
According to EMC, the policy protects more than 130,000 Canadian jobs across the automotive, mining, and charging sectors. Independent forecasts, including research from EY, suggest that a strong and predictable EVAS could help create up to 600,000 jobs by 2035. Weakening the standard, on the other hand, could reduce that figure by nearly a quarter million positions.
Why Tesla Is Mobilizing Canadians
In its message, Tesla warned that government decision-makers are weighing adjustments that would dilute the regulation. “Preserving the EVAS will help save and grow the 130,000 jobs in Canada’s automotive and EV industries,” the company wrote. Tesla pointed to research from the International Council on Clean Transportation that projected a robust EVAS could cut lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from Canada’s road transport sector by 82% by 2050.
Tesla also emphasized that EVAS is about consumer choice and affordability. A stronger supply of new EVs ultimately leads to a larger pool of used vehicles, helping bring down prices and giving more Canadians access to clean transportation.
Weakening the standard, the automaker argued, risks delaying those affordability gains while also undermining investments already underway.
The Campaign to Save EVAS
Tesla’s email directs Canadians to OurElectricFuture.ca, a website created by EMC that allows visitors to automatically send a letter to their local Member of Parliament. The site highlights the risks of adding loopholes, exemptions, or hybrid credits that could slow down Canada’s EV transition. It also seeks to dispel myths, such as claims of a “$20,000 penalty” in the standard or the idea that automakers face a steep 20% EV sales mandate in 2026.
Instead, EMC stresses that the EVAS is modest, predictable, and designed to give industry and investors clarity to plan future factories, deploy charging stations, and scale domestic supply chains.
For now, the government’s decision remains pending. But with Tesla and the broader EV industry sounding the alarm, the fight to keep EVAS as it is critical for Canada’s transition to sustainable transportation.
Here is a copy of the email from Tesla Canada.
