BC to formalize requirement for all new cars to be zero emission by 2035

BC government to formalize legal requirement for all new cars to be zero emission by 2035

Tesla car in downtown Vancouver. (Shutterstock)

British Columbia is already a leader in North America in transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, but the provincial government is now set to introduce new amendments to the legislated interim targets that automakers will be required to meet.

The 2019-approved original legislated targets require 10% of light-duty new passenger vehicle sales be zero-emission models by 2025, 30% by 2030, and 100% by 2040.

In October 2021, the provincial government first indicated through its “CleanBC Roadmap to 2030” plan that it would bump up the 100% legislated target by five years to 2035.

Today, as previously indicated in 2021, the provincial government announced it will be formalizing the timeline changes through amendments to the legislation, with 26% by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.

This is due in part to BC already being well ahead of the original schedule of interim targets.

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In 2022, 18% of new light-duty passenger vehicle sales in BC were already zero-emission models, which are overwhelmingly dominated by battery-electric vehicles. So far in 2023, battery-electric vehicles have accounted for about 21% of all such new vehicle sales, which is the highest for any provincial/territorial jurisdiction in Canada.

“British Columbia is the leader in Canada on the switch to electric vehicles, and thanks to the success we’ve seen, we’re accelerating our work so we can hit our 100% EV sales target five years earlier,” said Josie Osborne, the BC Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation, in a statement.

“The actions we’re taking today will make it easier for drivers to choose electric when they make their next vehicle purchase, with even more choices available to reduce pollution and contribute to cleaner air.”

The provincial government has indicated it has created various measures, including financial incentives, to support the expansion of charging infrastructure for shared public use and within homes, multi-family buildings, and businesses.

But the ability for the global car manufacturing industry to keep up with the staggering pace in demand for battery-electric vehicles is in question. This past summer, the Associated Press reported the growing global shortfall in lithium supplies to produce batteries is an obstacle for government and industry plans to escalate sales to tens of millions of battery-electric vehicles a year.

In response to today’s announcement of forthcoming amendments to the legislation, the New Car Dealers Association of BC (NCDA) urged the provincial government to decelerate its plans by leaving the door open for a more “flexible approach” to the regulations as the “rules may have unintended consequences that ultimately slow the adoption of clean energy vehicles.

“Government and New Car Dealers share the same goal of reducing greenhouse gases by transitioning British Columbians to clean energy vehicles — and we are on a path that has produced very positive results,” said Blair Qualey, president and CEO of the NCDA, in a statement.

One of the issues, according to Qualey, is the relatively high cost of battery-electric vehicles for many BC residents — even with the various government incentives — and the lack of a comprehensive charging network in remote locations.

Earlier this year, the provincial government announced BC Hydro will need to buy more electricity as early as 2028 due to higher than anticipated demand driven by the electrification of transportation and building systems, and the growing population and economy. This even accounts for the power supply that will be gained from the 2025 opening of the Site C hydroelectric dam.

Between 2023 and 2030, electricity demand in BC is expected to increase by 15%.

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