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Final electric-vehicle mandate to come Tuesday, sales must double by 2026

Dec 18, 2023 | 12:31 PM

OTTAWA — Auto manufacturers will have three years to start showing a sizable increase in electric-vehicle sales as the federal government moves to finalize its new EV mandate this week.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault published draft regulations a year ago that set new targets for one in five vehicles to be electric by 2026, three in five by 2030 and all of them by 2035.

On Tuesday he will discuss the final regulations for those targets, following nearly a year of consultation with industry and environment stakeholders.

The regulations, which should be published in full later this week, are expected to include credits for electric vehicles sold, as well as investments in charging infrastructure.

Each manufacturer will need to earn enough credits to meet an annual target and if they come up short, buy credits from other companies that exceed their goals.

New data from Statistics Canada shows one in 10 new vehicles sold in the first nine months of this year were electric — about half of what would be required under the new mandate in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2023.

The Canadian Press