More than 100,000 Canadians have benefited from the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program

OTTAWA, ON , Aug. 12, 2021  /CNW/ - The Government of Canada recognizes the need to take climate action now. Canadians' quality of life—and Canada's future growth—are deeply tied to the environment. We know that we need to invest in a cleaner, more sustainable future to protect the things Canadians rely on: an affordable cost of living, well-paying jobs, and resilient communities.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, highlighted that the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program reached a new milestone in July 2021: it helped more than 100,000 Canadian individuals and businesses purchase or lease a zero-emission vehicle.

Canadians and businesses who participated in the program are reducing up to 352,000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions per year—equivalent to powering over 991,000 homes for one year. The passing of the 100,000 purchases or leases milestone is a testament to both growing zero-emission vehicle demand and Canadians doing their part to reduce their emissions.

Given the success of the Program, the Government of Canada provided additional funding of over $287 million last fall to continue delivering the iZEV program. This top-up brings the total funding of the program to over $587 million.

In June, 2021, the Government of Canada announced it was setting a mandatory target for all new light-duty car and passenger truck sales to be zero-emission by 2035, accelerating Canada's previous goal of 100 percent sales by 2040. To ensure Canada gets to this goal, and to provide certainty about the path to get there, the Government of Canada will pursue a combination of regulations and other measures to increase both supply and demand to help Canadians and industry make the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

To ensure a cleaner, more sustainable environment for our generation and those that follow, we must continue to take climate action now.

Quote

"Canadians continue to remind us that addressing climate change is a top priority and the time to act is now. By making zero-emission vehicles more affordable, we put more of them on the road and reduce pollution in our cities and towns, while protecting the planet for future generations."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport

Quick Facts

• Transportation accounts for a quarter of Canada's greenhouse emissions, almost half of which comes from cars and light trucks. The Government of Canada is putting more zero-emission vehicles on the road, which can significantly reduce emissions, particularly in the longer-term.
• Canada's accelerated zero-emission vehicle sales target will support the new 2030 climate reduction targets, which are 40 percent to 45 percent below 2005 levels. With light-duty vehicles remaining in service for about 15 years, requiring 100 percent of vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035 will also help put Canada on a path to achieving its long-term goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
• Building on ongoing stakeholder engagement on zero-emission vehicles held to date, the Government of Canada will consult industry, non-governmental organizations, and other orders of governments on its approach to meet its 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales target by 2035, including setting new interim 2025 and 2030 zero-emission vehicle sales targets
• On August 5, the United States announced stronger greenhouse gas regulations for light-duty vehicle model years 2023-2026, as well as a 50 percent sales target of zero-emission vehicles by 2030. Canada strongly supports the proposed rulemaking announced by the U.S. These regulations, when finalized, will be most stringent U.S. regulations at the federal or state level. Since 2012, Canada and the United States have aligned their regulations in this area.
• During #EVWeekinCanada, held July 26 to 30, the Government of Canada announced investments of over $32 million to install 853 electric vehicle chargers across the country, raise public awareness about zero-emission vehicles, and advance green transportation initiatives.

Related Documents

• Transport Canada's Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program
• List of eligible vehicles under the iZEV Program
• A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy - Canada's strengthened climate plan
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
• Speech from the Throne
• Fall Economic Statement 2020

SOURCE Transport Canada

Allison St-Jean, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, [phone], [email protected]; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, [email protected], 613-993-0055

Related Links

http://www.tc.gc.ca/