British Columbia became the first jurisdiction in the world to legislate a 100% zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) sales requirement, passing the ZEV Act on May 30, 2019. That legislation required automakers to meet ZEV sales targets reaching 10% of new light-duty vehicle sales by 2025, 30% by 2030, and 100% by 2040. Those dates were pushed ahead and the requirements made even stricter last year, with the province committing to increase ZEV sales targets to 26% by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
BC is well on its way to achieving its 2026 ZEV sales targets, and it looks like it could even happen ahead of schedule.
According to new data released by the provincial government this week, there were a total of 30,004 new ZEVs registered in BC in 2022, giving ZEVs a market share of 18.1% in the light-duty vehicle segment. That is the highest percentage for any province or territory in Canada, and is a nearly 40% increase from 2021 when a still impressive 13.0% of new light-duty cars registered in BC were zero emission.
Showing what strong provincial incentives, in combination with federal incentives, and a growing network of public charging stations can do to increase ZEV adoption, BC has gone from having less than 1% of cars being zero emission to over 18% just seven years.
The government started maintaining these stats in 2015 because that is the year they first introduced the Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate program. Since its inception the program has provided rebates totaling $198,385,855, adding 61,680 ZEVs to the province’s roads.
As expected the most popular rebate eligible ZEV in BC last year was the Tesla Model 3, followed by the Chevy Bolt, Hyundai Kona, Hyunai IONIQ 5, and Mini Cooper BEV. It should be noted that BC’s definition of ZEV includes plug-in hybrids and fuel cell electric vehicles, but the majority of ZEVs registered in BC so far have been battery electric and truly zero emission.
The rebate program used to provide a rebate as high as $5,000, but due to the growing popularity that figure was reduced to $3,000. In response to changing needs, the government increased the rebate to $4,000 last year, but tied the rebate amount to income on a sliding scale. Those earning less than $80,000 per year can get the full rebate of up to $4,000. Those who earn between $80,001 and $100,000 can qualify for rebates ranging from $500 to $2,000, depending on their vehicle type and income level. Individuals with incomes above $100,000 are not eligible to receive any rebates.
According to the province there are now 3,018 public Level 2 charging stations and 854 public fast charging stations across BC, an increase of 22% from the previous year. The government has committed to having 10,000 public EV charging stations by 2030.
You can read the full report from the BC Government below.
zev_annual_update_2022_v2
