Half of British Columbians opposed to the provincial government’s regulations requiring 100% zero-emission vehicles sales by 2035
British Columbian’s are concerned with the provincial government’s regulation requiring 100% zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by 2035, according to a new poll from Leger released today. The survey found that half of B.C. residents oppose the provincial government’s plan to require 90% ZEV sales by 2030 and 100% sales by 2035. Four-in-ten respondents would not consider a ZEV for their next vehicle purchase, citing concerns with price, a lack of charging infrastructure and vehicle ranges.
“The drastic BC electric vehicle mandate is not supported by the public or common sense. The risk of forcing the 100 percent transitions to ZEVs too fast and too soon is that consumers will simply hang on to old higher emitting vehicles while costs and affordability will spiral out of control”, said Huw Williams national spokesperson for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association of CADA.
“The provincial government has the most aggressive electric vehicle sales regulations in North America”, said Brian Kingston, President & CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA). “The sales targets are not achievable based on current market conditions and the supports available to consumers. The result of the regulation will be less vehicle choice and higher prices for British Columbians”.
“Whether it is moving to zero emission vehicles or transitioning other elements of society away from fossil fuels 57% of British Columbians are concerned about the availability, reliability and cost of electricity according to the survey results,” said David Adams, President and CEO of Global Automakers of Canada (GAC). “Such concerns, in turn, led only 20% of those same respondents to strongly consider an electric car for their next vehicle purchase. These results are disconcerting,” added Adams.
The survey, conducted by Leger for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association and Global Automakers of Canada, offers insights into British Columbian’s attitudes towards electrification. The findings are based on an online survey of 1002 B.C. residents completed between September 27-29, 2024.
According to the poll, seven-in-ten respondents were not aware that manufacturers may not be able to provide consumers a gasoline powered vehicle until enough ZEVs are sold or they face a penalty.
Two-thirds of British Columbian’s believe there is not enough public charging infrastructure available to support the government’s mandated sales targets.
Almost 6-in-10 believe there will not be enough reliable and affordable electricity available in BC to support the government’s ZEV sales regulation targets.
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The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA) – cvma.ca
The Global Automakers of Canada (GAC) – globalautomakers.ca
The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) – cada.ca
For more information, please contact:
Sajjid Lakhani Lucas Malinowski Marg Crate
Sajjid@impactcanada.com lmalinowski@globalautomakers.ca mcrate@cvma.ca
Cell: (778)-387-4647 cell:416-804-1947 cell:437-779-6700