B.C. wants zero emission cars, trucks by 2040

All light-duty cars and trucks sold in British Columbia would have to be zero-emission by 2040 under legislation tabled recently.

Energy Minister Michelle Mungall says the Zero Emission Vehicles Act aims to fight climate change by phasing out gas-powered vehicles.

She says the legislation would set target dates of 10 per cent zero-emission sales by 2025, 30 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040.

The legislation would apply to new vehicles for sale or lease.

Mungall says zero-emission vehicles are part of the government’s $902 million CleanBC program to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 based on 2007 pollution levels.

She says the CleanBC plan includes incentives for zero-emission vehicle purchases up to $5,000 on a new battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and up to $6,000 for a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.

“British Columbians are eager to make the switch to zero-emission vehicles,” said Mungall in the legislature. “We have the highest per capita adoption of zero-emission vehicles in Canada, with over 17,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road, averaging four per cent of new light-duty vehicle sales in 2018.”