B.C. is easing its zero-emission vehicle mandate while maintaining a long-term electrification target, recalibrating policy as it aligns with federal changes to emissions rules.
The province is amending its Zero-Emission Vehicles Act to reduce the 2035 sales requirement and introduce more flexibility into interim targets, while maintaining a long-term transition toward electrification.
“We are recalibrating our ZEV targets to be consistent with the federal government’s new ZEV policy and to give industry and consumers greater flexibility,” Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, according to a press release.
“B.C. is a leader in electric vehicle adoption in North America, and in leading, we are giving people greater choice while reducing air pollution and emissions in our communities,” he said.
The changes shift key targets into regulation and remove a fixed requirement for 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035, allowing the province to adjust requirements as market conditions evolve.
The New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia described the move as a policy reset. “Today’s announcement is a positive step toward a more balanced and realistic approach to vehicle electrification in British Columbia,” the association's board said in a statement.
“This change better reflects current consumer demand, infrastructure readiness and affordability challenges facing British Columbians,” it added.
Several other national industry groups had also pressed for changes ahead of the announcement.
“Ending province-specific EV mandates in favour of one national approach to greenhouse gases is the right path forward,” Tim Reuss of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association said in a statement.
Brian Kingston of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association said “punitive regulations like the ZEV mandate limit consumer choice, drive up prices, reduce investment and job creation,” according to a statement.
David Adams of the Global Automakers of Canada said overlapping provincial rules create “unnecessary complexity for businesses,” according to a statement.
Elsewhere in Canada, similar adjustments are being implemented by Quebec's provincial govenment, which softened its ZEV framework by allowing a portion of plug-in hybrid vehicles within its 2035 target.
At the federal level, Ottawa has shifted away from a strict national ZEV sales mandate toward a more flexible framework based on emissions regulations, credit systems and continued incentives, reflecting pressure tied to affordability, supply constraints and infrastructure readiness.
