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Toronto, Ontario — In this weekly electronic and autonomous vehicle report, Canadian politicians reaffirm Ontario’s commitment to electric vehicles in the wake of United States President Donald Trump's plans to remove initiatives in the country; while Waymo announces expansions into more U.S. cities.
Electric elections
Ontario Premier and Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford announced last Thursday that he will continue to honour Ontario’s commitment to electric vehicles despite United States President Donald Trump declaring plans to remove initiatives in the U.S.
Ford initially agreed to an automotive deal with the federal government in 2023 to pay one-third of the production incentives in arrangements made with Volkswagen, Stellantis and LG Energy Solution for EV battery production.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles further confirmed that she is open to protecting electric vehicles, but would also want to review the deals made with Stellantis and Volkswagen.
And, in a report shared with CBC News, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie stated that she would bring back EV rebates in the province as one way to help grow the sector if elected.
Premier Ford also announced that should President Trump follow through on his decision to place tariffs on Ontario’s auto sector, he will invest an additional one billion dollars in a skills development fund to help auto workers transition to a different trade as desired.
Self-driving step-ups
Waymo announced last Wednesday that it plans to expand testing of its autonomous driving technology in over ten cities across the United States.
According to the company, this expansion is the result of successful testing in 2024 in new environments.
Alongside ongoing trips in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Upstate New York, this most recent expansion will include testing in San Diego, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Other cities will be announced in the coming weeks.
Testing in California and Nevada will begin with manual driving through the most populated parts of each city, including city centres and freeways.