Billions More in Subsidies Needed to Meet Federal EV Sales Goal, Auto Leaders Say

Auto industry leaders are calling for increased government subsidies to meet the federal mandate for electric vehicle (EV) sales, citing costs that exceed twice Canada’s annual defence budget. “An unprecedented national effort to build charging infrastructure, expand the electricity grid, increase clean electricity production, and help more Canadians switch to electric is urgently required,” said Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association. He made the comment during a June 25 press conference, a day after the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) unveiled the initiative “Countdown to 2035,” which tracks Canada’s path to achieving 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. The EV sales goal forms part of the Liberal government’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan that seeks to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050....