For Immediate Release
April 11, 2019
Vancouver BC – The New Car Dealers Association of BC (NCDA) is pledging to continue to work with the provincial government to ensure a smooth and successful implementation of its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) plan, with the goal of continuing British Columbia’s nation-leading per-capita record of clean energy vehicle adoption.
The Province has introduced Zero Emissions Vehicle legislation which among other things, will require automakers to meet an escalating annual percentage of new light-duty ZEV sales and leases, reaching: 10 % of light duty sales by 2025, 30% by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
“Government and BC’s New Car Dealers share a collective desire to encourage and accelerate the adoption of clean energy vehicles in BC,” said Blair Qualey, President and CEO of the NCDA. “We want any government policy to be effective and successful, and welcome the opportunity to play a constructive role in shaping its success.”
“We support a policy of continued point of sale incentives, strategic charging infrastructure investment and consumer education. We also believe the experience of other jurisdictions is an important part of establishing a plan that will work for government and the people of British Columbia. To that end, ZEV regulation in itself may not motivate consumers to purchase EVs in increasing numbers. Therefore, a policy with some level of regulatory flexibility is prudent to allow government to update and revise as required. This would ensure EV product development lines up with the challenges and realities of BC, such as consumer range anxiety, needed charging infrastructure, BC’s geography and climate, along with new battery technology developments – all of which affect electric vehicle adoption in this province,” added Qualey.
Over the last eight years, the partnership between BCs New Car Dealers and the BC Government has played a significant role in establishing BC as a leader in electric vehicle adoption in this country. Through the CEVforBC™ program, more than 6,300 incentive transactions occurred in 2018, an increase of four-thousand over the previous year.
CEVforBC™ is funded by the Province and administered by the NCDA and offers up to $5,000 to B.C. residents who purchase or lease an eligible new battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and up to $6,000 for fuel cell (hydrogen) vehicles.
In recent months, the government has continued its leadership on EVs by announcing the CEVforBC™ Program will be topped up by $42 million while a further $30 million will be committed to infrastructure development to charge an electric vehicle or fuel a hydrogen vehicle.
“BC has the highest per-capita sales of clean energy vehicles in Canada,” said Qualey. “It is in large part due to a partnership that is working and one we want to continue, to push EV adoption to new heights in the years ahead.”
BC’s New Car Dealers believe in a three-pillar approach to further the adoption of clean energy vehicles that includes purchase incentives, continued investments in charging infrastructure and ongoing education.
For information about the CEVforBC™ program, visit: www.cevforbc.ca.
About the New Car Dealers Association of BC:
The NCDA is the provincial industry association that represents more than 390-new car and truck dealers throughout British Columbia. Members of the Association directly employ over 30,000 British Columbians and are responsible for $16 billion in retail sales in the province. The Association speaks on behalf of the retail new automotive industry to the public, media, and government, and deals primarily with the legal, environmental, and consumer issues relating to vehicle sales in British Columbia.
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Contact:
Kelly Gleeson
604-240-6231
[email protected]
