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July 20, 2021

Zero-emission vehicle sales must reach 70 percent by 2030 to hit federal emissions targets: C.D. Howe Institute

  • A complete transformation of Canada’s passenger vehicle market – with 70 - 75 percent of sales being of Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030 – is required in order to hit Ottawa’s emissions targets. This compares to the current 3.5 percent of sales being ZEVs in 2020.
  • Authors Joel Balyk, Brian Livingston, Sara Hastings-Simon and Grant Bishop examine the federal government’s December 2020 climate plan, and calculate to achieve the projected reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from Canada’s transportation sector, approximately 7.7 million zero-emission passenger vehicles would need to be on the road in 2030 – equivalent to a 30 percent share of the total vehicle stock.
  • The federal government’s plan projects a reduction of 213 megatonnes (MT) of greenhouse gas emissions – or 30 percent of 2018 nationwide GHGs – by 2030. The plan projects GHGs from transportation to fall by 35 MT from 186 MT in 2018 to 151 MT by 2030.
Joel Balyk

Joel Balyk is a former research assistant at the C.D. Howe Institute. 

Brian Livingston

Brian Livingston is Executive Fellow with the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

Sara Hastings-Simon

Assistant Professor with the University of Calgary in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the School of Public Policy

Grant Bishop

Grant Bishop was Associate Director of Research for the C.D. Howe Institute from 2018-2021. Based in Calgary, he led the Institute's research on energy, competition and regulatory policy.