Clean Energy Canada | National Zero-Emission Vehicle Strategy an Opportunity for Canada
May 26, 2017

VANCOUVER — Merran Smith, executive director of Clean Energy Canada, made the following comments in response to the announcement of an advisory group to shape Canada’s national zero-emission vehicle strategy:

QUOTES

“Electric cars represent a road to opportunity for Canada. We’re excited Ottawa is starting the work needed to deliver a national strategy for clean vehicles by 2018—especially since Canada has lagged other countries on this issue.

“The electric car story just keeps getting better and better—and the opportunity for Canada bigger and bigger. Battery prices are falling fast, more and more models are available, and countries like China are buying record numbers of zero-emission cars.

“Global demand for electric cars is booming, and Canada has the technical talent to benefit from this shift economically as well as environmentally. We also have a relatively clean electricity grid for electric cars to plug into, making them even more effective at cutting carbon pollution.

“While we’re not starting from scratch, Canada could be doing much more to get electric cars into dealers’ lots and onto our roads. By identifying leading policies, the new national strategy can help make this happen—and help Canada reap the economic and environmental benefits.”

KEY FACTS

• According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the average cost of an electric car battery fell by 35% last year alone.
• There are now well over two-million electric cars on the road globally, and China is the world’s biggest EV market.
• Over 20 models of EVs are currently available in Canada.
• The transportation sector accounts for nearly a quarter (24%) of Canada’s carbon pollution.