Canadians have made it clear that they want clean air, good jobs and lower bills. The Government of Canada continues to deliver on these priorities by making zero-emission vehicles more affordable to help reduce pollution, create more well-paying jobs, and build a cleaner world for generations to come.

“Helping Canadians make the switch to zero-emission vehicles is win-win-win: it keeps our air clean, helps people save money on fuel, all while positioning Canada as a leader on building cleaner vehicles. Canada’s Action Plan for Clean On-Road Transportation is our comprehensive strategy to shift towards zero-emission vehicles. This is key to Canada’s goals of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport

“Our government has laid out the roadmap to help Canadians more easily and more affordably make the switch to electric vehicles. There’s no doubt we’ve reached the tipping point on electric vehicles: in the last two years we’ve almost doubled the amount of zero emissions vehicles sold. When you compare the low charging cost for an EV with the rollercoaster high cost of gasoline, it’s no wonder a vast majority of Canadians say they are open to buying an electric car. Our Government’s strategy, including regulated sales targets, will make electric vehicles more accessible and reduce our dependence on the fossil fuel emissions causing climate change.”

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“As the world transitions to cleaner and more sustainable transportation, Canada is cementing its position as a world leader in clean transportation solutions. We are working with industry to secure jobs and production mandates in Canada, in order to enable a successful transformation to electrification. Our actions will support strong, resilient and reliable Canadian automotive and battery sectors with more jobs for Canadians.”

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play. Helping Canadians make the switch to zero-emission vehicles, as outlined in Canada’s Action Plan for Clean On-Road Transportation, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources

• The transportation sector is Canada’s second-largest source of pollution. Moving to zero-emission vehicles through regulations and investments is a significant part of Canada’s $9.1 billion Emissions Reduction Plan to meet Canada’s Paris Agreement target for 2030 and get on track for net-zero emissions by 2050. 

• Canada is developing regulations for zero-emission vehicles to be 100% of new light-duty vehicle sales by 2035, and 100% of new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2040, where feasible.

• The Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program has already helped Canadians purchase or lease over 180,000 new zero-emission vehicles since 2019. Through Budget 2022, the Government of Canada invested $1.7 billion to continue this program until March 2025, including a broadening of the eligibility under the program.

• On July 11, 2022, the new Incentives for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles (iMHZEV) Program was launched. This four-year, close to $550 million program, will help businesses and communities across the country make the switch to zero-emission commercial vehicles.

• To date, the Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), has invested in more than 34,500 new charging stations to be installed from coast to coast. Budget 2022 provided Natural Resources Canada’s ZEVIP with an additional $400 million, and Canada’s Infrastructure Bank will invest $500 million to deploy an additional 50,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2027.

• The Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative (ZEVAI) supports projects that increase awareness, knowledge and public confidence in ZEVs and low-emission vehicles, public charging/refueling infrastructure. Since 2019, ZEVAI has supported 46 projects totalling $7 million in total project investments. New projects from the 2022 call for proposals will be announced in early 2023.

• Launching on December 12, 2022, the ZEVAI Medium- and Heavy-Duty call for proposals is an expansion to existing ZEVAI funding, and will support outreach, education and capacity-building projects related to low-emission and zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

• The $2.75 billion Zero Emission Transit Fund is now accepting applications under the Planning and Capital streams. Eligible applicants can seek funding to help cover planning and capital costs related to electrifying school transportation and public transit systems, including the purchase of zero emission buses and related infrastructure. This Fund is closely coordinated with the Canada Infrastructure Bank's commitment to invest $1.5 billion in zero emission buses as part of its three-year Growth Plan.

• According to S&P Global, the share of new registrations of light-duty zero-emission vehicles in Canada reached 9.5% the third quarter of 2022. This is up from 5.6% in 2021, 3.8% in 2020, and 3.1% in 2019.

• This action plan has been a collaborative effort between Environment Climate Change Canada; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; Infrastructure Canada; National Resources Canada; and Transport Canada.

Associated links

• Canada’s Action Plan for Clean On-Road Transportation
• 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy
• Transport Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive Programs
• Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program
• Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative
• Greening Federal Government Vehicles and Fleets
• Budget 2022: A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable

Nadine Ramadan
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport, Ottawa
nadine.ramadan@tc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
media@tc.gc.ca