The Government of Canada officially revealed its much-anticipated ZEV sales mandate. The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced the proposed changes on Wednesday.
According to the federal government he regulations will require that at least 20 percent of new vehicles sold in Canada will be zero emission by 2026, at least 60 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2035.
These targets will also help increase the supply of zero-emission vehicles in Canada. The announcement brings a sense of planning and should relax the EV market as automakers continue to play catch up.
Although we have seen positive reactions to the news from the industry, many still note that there needs to be a lot more work on the infrastructure side. On that part the government also announced the following investments:
- Invested in 50,000 more EV charging stations across the country, for almost 85,000 federally-funded chargers across Canada by 2027. This is in addition to charging stations supported by provincial governments and the private sector.
- Renewed the program that provides Canadians up to $5,000, and businesses up to $10,000, toward the cost of buying or leasing a ZEV. Over 180,000 individuals and businesses have taken advantage of this program to date.
- Making historic investments in EV manufacturing in Canada.
Although the new ZEV mandate was launched, Canadians and industry can now comment on the new proposed changes. The comment period will last for 75 days.
Once completed, the government will then review and consider the comments and move forward with any changes sometime in 2023.
