British Columbia is taking a hardcore green approach to the future of transportation.
Premier John Horgan announced yesterday that the province will phase out all emission-generating vehicles by 2040. That’s right: every car sold just 22 years from now will be fuelled by electricity or hydrogen fuel cells.
“If we want British Columbians to be part of the solution for reducing air pollution, we need to make clean energy vehicles more affordable, available and convenient,” Horgan said in a news release.
Is it realistic? Who knows. Is this attempt to save our smouldering planet misguided? Maybe. But the wheels will be set in motion through legislation next spring that will enforce a multi-phase roll-out.
The legislation will require that 10 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles sold by 2025 to be squeaky clean. By 2030, it will climb to 30 per cent. And by 2040, 100 per cent of all vehicles sold in the province will produce zero emissions.
Car buyers will be lured by an extra $20 million in incentives made available by the provincial government. B.C. also plans to double the number of electric charging stations to 151. There are currently 12,000 clean energy vehicles are registered in the province.