B.C. aiming for 100% zero-emission vehicle sales 5 years earlier than planned
CTV
The B.C. government is moving up its target date for the transition to zero-emission vehicles.
The B.C. government is moving up its target date for the transition to zero-emission vehicles.
Amendments to the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act announced Tuesday will require 100 per cent of new light-duty vehicles sold in the province to be emission-free by 2035. The province previously targeted 2040 for the full transition.
"With the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act, our government was the first in the world to put an EV sales target into law," said Josie Osborne, B.C.'s minister of energy, mines and low-carbon innovation, in a news release announcing the changes.
"British Columbia is the leader in Canada on the switch to electric vehicles, and thanks to the success we've seen, we're accelerating our work so we can hit our 100 per cent EV sales target five years earlier. The actions we're taking today will make it easier for drivers to choose electric when they make their next vehicle purchase, with even more choices available to reduce pollution and contribute to cleaner air."
The province has "consistently exceeded" annual sales targets since the ZEV Act was introduced in 2019, according to the ministry.
As recently as July 2020, the province's target was for zero-emission vehicles to make up "at least 10 per cent" of sales by 2025, with additional targets of 30 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040.
In 2023, electric vehicles have made up "nearly 21 per cent" of all new light-duty passenger vehicles sold in the province, according to the ministry, more than double the original target for 2025.
