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There are currently 68 zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) available to Canadians. By next year there will be 130 models to choose from. But will Canadian car buyers embrace such a transition to their car buying habits fast enough for Canada to meet its ambitious targets for ZEVs?
The country’s automotive industry associations — the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association and Global Automakers of Canada — are launching a new initiative aimed at helping Canadians understand what it will take for Canada to achieve ZEV sales targets.
The Road to 2035 (www.roadto2035.ca) outlines the investments and policies required for Canada to achieve 50% ZEV sales by 2030 on the path 100% ZEV sales in 2035. The initiative brings together stakeholders in the transition to electrification to develop a plan for governments at all levels. However, this plan will only be achievable if consumers embrace this transition.
A central message of the new campaign is to make clear that for Canada to achieve the target for all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks sales to be zero-emission by 2035, more ambitious government action is required to:
-enhance consumer incentives
-invest in charging infrastructure
-build consumer education
-create an electric vehicle battery supply chain.
The new national campaign kick-off involves several educational events this Spring.
“The transition to 100 percent ZEVs sales will be a massive societal transition that will require government leadership and programs as well as a shift in societal barriers. It will require federal/provincial cooperation to avoid competing and potentially counterproductive approaches,” stated Tim Reuss, President and CEO of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association.
“Auto manufacturers are investing billions to produce electric vehicles, including right here in Canada,” said Brian Kingston, President & CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association. “Ambitious government action is required now to boost consumer incentives, build charging infrastructure, and help more Canadians make the switch to electric.”
“The automotive industry is undergoing a generational energy transformation from fossil fuels to electrified transportation. This transformation will rely not only on industry, but also on governments and especially Canadians making the choice to purchase zero emission vehicles,” said David Adams, President & CEO of the Global Automakers of Canada.
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