The committee studied the electric vehicle availability standard (EVAS). Witnesses were Travis Allan, President and CEO of the Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council; Eric Little, Co-Founder and CEO of Edison Motors Ltd.; Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist at Greenpeace Canada; Jeff Turner, Director of Mobility at Dunsky Energy and Climate; and Sam Hersh, Clean Transportation Program Manager at Environmental Defence Canada.
Travis Allan said the charging industry needs long-term policy certainty from the EVAS to attract private capital, because investors use the standard as a floor to forecast demand and revenue. He warned that reducing the 2030 target from 60% to 40% would likely cause a 38% drop in charging stations built, and a reduction to 30% would cause a 62% drop, due to cumulative effects. He recommended a clean technology investment tax credit for public charging and multi-unit residential buildings.
Eric Little said his company builds electric hybrid semi-trucks that reduce fuel use by at least 30%, but current CEPA regulations under the hybrid alternative engine standard prevent him from using an EPA-certified diesel generator engine in an on-road vehicle, forcing him to build traditional trucks instead. He asked for an amendment to allow those engines and to extend the standard’s sunset from 2027 to 2032, aligning with U.S. rules. He noted that without this change, his company cannot validate its technology in Canada or export, and that the current exemption process is tied to U.S. regulators and competitors.
Keith Stewart argued that the EVAS is essential for meeting Canada’s climate commitments and that industrial carbon pricing alone cannot drive the transition to electric vehicles. He recommended keeping the 2030 and 2050 targets, prioritizing a strong Canadian standard over harmonization with the U.S., and adding extra credits for affordable EVs to address the top barrier to adoption. He disagreed with the idea that the standard should be weakened due to U.S. policy, saying Canada should “skate to where the puck is going.”
Jeff Turner presented modelling showing that even without supportive policies, the market will eventually transition to EVs, but the EVAS significantly accelerates adoption, bringing benefits sooner. He said a 50% market share by 2030 is achievable with the right policy mix, leading to $30 billion in fuel savings and $4 billion in health benefits. He noted that utilities see the EVAS as valuable for planning grid investments and that grid upgrade costs are offset by revenue from EV drivers, making EVs a net benefit to the grid.
Sam Hersh said the EVAS is needed to ensure automakers supply affordable EVs to Canada, as voluntary measures have failed. He argued that recent sales declines were driven by uncertainty and the pause in rebates, not lack of demand, and that the standard includes built-in flexibility to absorb shocks. He urged the committee to maintain the EVAS with limited recalibration, reinstating a 2026 requirement that reflects actual market share and resuming the trajectory by 2027, and warned that weakening it would harm consumers and competitiveness.
The committee then debated and voted on a motion by Eric St-Pierre to study industrial carbon pricing. After amendments, the motion was adopted, calling for a study of up to four meetings and an invitation to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
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