Auto industry groups call for more support over Ottawa’s mandated clean vehicle sales target
Global News
"My worry is that this ultimately this will lead to frustration for Canadian drivers," said Brian Kingston of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association.
Canadian automotive industry groups are calling for more infrastructure and incentive cash from Ottawa, as regulations for a more aggressive, national regulated zero-emissions vehicle sales target await final approval.
According to the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, Canadian Automobile Dealers Association and Global Automakers of Canada, the country doesn’t have “nearly enough” charging stations to support a mandated target of making all passenger vehicle sales “net-zero” by 2035.
This week, the groups a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) timeline outlining the charging infrastructure needed to achieve that target. If ZEVs make up 20 per cent of all light-duty vehicle sales in 2026, they estimate Canada will need more than 116,000 public chargers, but is on track have just 52,000.
“What the timeline finds is that urgent action is needed right now to put Canada on a path to widespread EV adoption,” said Brian Kingston, CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association.
“We have a significant infrastructure gap. It is not closing and it will become even more of a challenge in the years to come.”
ZEVs include battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles. According to the industry groups, there are more than 70 such vehicles on the market in Canada and 40 more are on the way.
In December, the federal government released draft regulations for the new sales mandate, accelerating a previous goal of reaching 100 per cent ZEV sales by 2040. They would require 20 per cent of all passenger vehicle sales to be net-zero by 2026.
The targets aim to the help the country achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, as scientists continue to warn of impending disaster due to climate change. A recent United Nations report also found the global community “has no credible path” to restricting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, despite legally-binding promises in the Paris Agreement.