Canada will set zero-emissions vehicle mandate by next year

Canada government sets 2018 to outline mandate for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and fuel cell cars.

By Danny King
An electric car belonging to Communauto, a Montreal car sharing company is seen September 13, 2011 in Montreal. Communauto founded in 1994, launched last month, the biggest project of electric car sharing in North America. The Montreal company has purchased Nissan Leaf and installed charging stations in parking lots of Montreal in partnership with the giant public Hydro-Quebec. Unlike the U.S. company Zipcar, Communauto pays its car-sharing formula and that, with hyper-competitive prices. In addition to the annual subscription invoice Communauto about 2 dollars (1.50 euro) per hour (energy included) for a car. AFP PHOTO / Guillaume LAVALLEE (Photo credit should read Guillaume Lavall�/AFP/Getty Images)
An electric car belonging to Communauto, a Montreal car sharing company is seen September 13, 2011 in Montreal. Communauto founded in 1994, launched last month, the biggest project of electric car sharing in North America. The Montreal company has purchased Nissan Leaf and installed charging stations in parking lots of Montreal in partnership with the giant public Hydro-Quebec. Unlike the U.S. company Zipcar, Communauto pays its car-sharing formula and that, with hyper-competitive prices. In addition to the annual subscription invoice Communauto about 2 dollars (1.50 euro) per hour (energy included) for a car. AFP PHOTO / Guillaume LAVALLEE (Photo credit should read Guillaume Lavall�/AFP/Getty Images)
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The Canadian government
vowed last week to outline the country’s mandate for zero-emissions vehicles by next year as part of an effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Canada’s Ministers of the Transport and Innovation, Science, and Economic Development will collaborate on setting goals for how many electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will be on Canada’s roads during the next decade and a half.


Such an effort is vital because transportation accounts for about a quarter of Canada’s carbon emissions. Per the previously adopted
Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Canada is looking to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to 70 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. In addition to cutting pollution, the Canadian government is viewing such an effort as a potential economic stimulus, as it should help boost production of zero-emissions vehicles..


Earlier this year, Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, looked to make some progress on the ZEV front by
lifting the price cap on vehicles eligible for its $14,000 EV rebate. Ontario, which includes Toronto, had previously granted just a $3,000 rebate for EVs priced between $75,000 and $150,00. That rebate gets bumped to at least $6,000, which will likely help Tesla sales north of the border.


While Canada’s 20,000 plug-in vehicles sold last year is less than one-sixth those sales in the US, Canada’s population is about one-tenth of the US’s, meaning that the Great White North is outpacing America per capita, and is looking to broaden that green-car gap.


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