Canada to ban combustion vehicles from 2035
Sales of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles will be outlawed – as in Europe – plus minimum EV range requirements for PHEVsCanada has become the latest country to announce a ban on the sale of new internal combustion engined (ICE) vehicles from 2035.
The Maple nation’s deadline for selling new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles aligns with similar bans announced in Europe, the UK, California and even the ACT, as countries and territories look to reduce the impact of carbon emissions from transport on climate change.
Battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are obviously exempt from the Canadian ban, given they don’t emit carbon dioxide during their use, while plug-in hybrids will also still be available after the cut-off – provided they can cover a “specified minimum distance” on battery power alone.
What that minimum distance is remains to be seen and the impending ICE ban forms just one part of Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, which details a series of evolving mandatory zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) sales split requirements that manufactures will have to meet as of 2026.
The minimum ZEV sales split will start at 20 per cent and rise to 23 per cent the following year, before jumping to 34 per cent in 2028, 43 per cent in 2029 and 60 per cent by 2030 in the lead up to the ICE ban in 2035, when all new vehicles will have to be EV, FCEV or PHEV.
Owners of pre-existing ICE vehicles will be able to continue driving them beyond the sales ban, however, government officials are projecting Canada’s national fleet to be comprised entirely of ZEVs by 2050 given the country’s average vehicle age is currently 15 years old.
“From 2024 to 2050, the switch to electric vehicles is estimated to save owners $C36.7 billion ($A40.4b) in energy costs, since electricity costs are significantly lower than refuelling at the pumps,” the Canadian government said.
“For example, it only costs about $C10 ($A11) in electricity for a mid-sized electric vehicle to travel 400 kilometres, compared to about $50 ($A56) in gasoline.
“Phasing in 100 per cent new electric vehicle sales by 2035 is projected to reduce over 360 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, avoiding almost $C100 billion ($A111b) in global damages.”
The Canadian government sais this mandated sales split will be supported by a tidal wave of new EV charging stations between now and the end of the decade, with the current 25,000-unit network set to grow to 84,500 by 2029.
Images: Getty Images
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