Guilbeault to outline plan today to phase in electric-vehicle sales mandate

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will outline today the details of his plan to eventually phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles in Canada.

The electric-vehicle sales mandate regulations will be published later this week.

They will set a course to require auto manufacturers to ensure at least one-fifth of the vehicles they offer for sale in 2026 are fully electric or plug-in hybrids.

That will increase to three-fifths by 2030 and then by 2035, all of the vehicles offered for sale in Canada will need to be zero-emission vehicles.

In the first three months of this year, about one in 10 of new vehicles registered were electric.

Automakers that come up short for their sales requirements will be able to cover the difference by buying credits from others who exceed their targets or by investing in charging stations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2023.

The Canadian Press