Canadian 2035 EV target needs strong incentives and more charging stations, says industry leader

The Canadian government has locked a deadline for all automakers to turn full electric vehicle (EV) by 2035 but that would require strong incentives and more chargers to achieve this target, says Canada’s vehicle industry leader.

Ottawa would need 17 times as many public charging stations and stronger incentives for Canadians to buy electric vehicles, says Brian Kingston, Chief Executive of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association in an interview with the Financial Post.

Last month, Canada reportedly announced new regulations, which require all new passenger cars, SUVs, crossovers, and light trucks to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035.

This target requires ZEVs to account for 20% of all cars sold in 2026, 60% ZEVs by 2030, and 100% in 2035. Last year the country sold 12.1% of overall EVs compared to other fuel-centric vehicles.

The U.S. state of California is already in action with this target of launching plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), EVs, or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2035. This is growing in consideration among other states as well.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is also supporting eligible EV buyers to get a $7,500 federal tax credit to ease the purchase price.

Global EV sales now account for about 13% of the overall vehicles and are likely to cover around half of the market by the end of the decade.

For now, Tesla rules over the Canadian EV market with over 35% of EV sales in 2022. However, 2024 is likely to bring more EV options to the customers.

(source)