The government of Canada has announced its intention to ban the sale of any and all fuel-burning new cars and light-duty trucks from the year 2035, according to Reuters. This would outlaw hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and, of course, regular gas-only cars. It’s all part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s goal to get the entire country to net-zero emissions by 2050.
If an EV-only future really does happen for Canada by 2035, it won’t be an overnight transition which is why the government is also proposing yet-to-be-disclosed interim targets for 2025 and 2030. “We are committed to aligning Canada’s zero-emission vehicles sales targets with those of the most ambitious North American jurisdictions,” Canadian Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in a statement.
The Canadian provinces of Quebec and British Columbia have already laid out goals to eliminate combustion car sales by around the same time. Late last year, the state of California announced an identical deadline on the sale of internal combustion vehicles. Overseas, the United Kingdom wants to ban gas cars by 2035 while Japan is aiming for something similar by “the mid-2030s.”
“We will work with the United States to harmonize fuel efficiency regulations and we’re investing in consumer rebates, charging stations, business tax breaks, and industry transition costs,” added Wilkinson.
According to the report, just 3.5 percent of cars sold in Canada today are electric.
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