The electric vehicle incentives include a rebate of up to C$14,000 (US$10,800) for every electric vehicle purchased; up to C$1,000 (US$770) to install home charging; taking the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax (HST) off electric vehicle sales; an extra subsidy program for low– and moderate-income households to get older cars off the road and replace them with electric; and free overnight electricity for charging electric vehicles.

The province will also build more charging stations at government buildings and consider making electrical vehicle plug-ins mandatory on all new buildings.

The plan sets targets of expanding electric vehicle sales to 5% of all vehicles sold by 2020, up to 12% by 2025, and aiming to get an electric or hybrid vehicle in every multi-vehicle driveway by 2024, a total of about 1.7 million cars.

The electric vehicle targets represent a sea change for the province’s $16-billion auto sector. The 2025 goal would boost to about 86,000 the number of annual electric vehicle sales, more than 20 times the number of electric vehicles sold in the province so far this century.

—Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail reported that the new programs will be funded by the province’s upcoming cap-and-trade system, which is expected to be approved by the legislature this week and come into effect at the start of next year. Together, the cap-and-trade system and the action plan are the backbone of the province’s strategy to cut emissions to 15% below 1990 levels by 2020, 37% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

New low carbon fuel standards (LCFS) would require all liquid transportation fuels to reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by 5% by 2020. The plan will also provide C$176-million (US$136 million) in incentives to fuel retailers to sell more biodiesel and 85% ethanol blend. The government will also oblige natural gas to contain more renewable content, such as gas from agriculture and waste products.

The plan will also put C$200 million (US$155 million) to build more cycling infrastructure, including curb-separated bike lanes and bike parking at GO stations.

An additional C$375 million (US$290 million) will flow to R&D into new clean technologies, including C$140-million (US$108-million) for a Global Centre for Low-Carbon Mobility at an Ontario university or college to develop electric and other low-carbon vehicle technology.

The actions expected to cause the largest emissions cuts by 2020 are moving buildings and the electricity system off natural gas (three million tonnes); programs to make industry more energy efficient (2.5 million tonnes); the low-carbon fuel standard (two million tonnes); the renewable content requirement for natural gas (one million tonnes); and switching trucks and buses to liquefied natural gas and electricity (400,000 tonnes).

—Globe and Mail