Reducing emissions from the transportation sector is critical to meeting Canada’s climate targets. Transportation is the second largest source of carbon emissions in Canada, with over half of those coming from passenger vehicles. Addressing these emissions will require Canadians to swap their gas cars with electric vehicles (EVs), while also using more transit and active transportation.
The good news is that EV sales are on the rise in Canada — and globally — while sales of gas-powered cars have peaked.
Every year, EVs are increasingly taking up a larger share of total vehicle sales in Canada (Figure 1). Six years ago, EVs represented just one per cent of annual sales. Now, they comprise over 10 per cent of new vehicle sales.