Major Developments in 2024

New Registrations
In 2024, electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)registrations grew across all vehicle types. Zero emission passenger vehicles (ZEVs) made up 16.7% of new registrations, up from 12% in 2023, and 3.3% of the total fleet, up from 2% in 2023.

Updated Greening Government Strategy
The strategy was updated to include Crown corporations, strengthen fleet and procurement commitments, and set new targets for safety and security fleets. In 2025, all new light-duty fleet purchases must be ZEVs, with a goal of 100% ZEVs by 2030 and at least 40% for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

ZEV Purchase Incentives
The 2024 federal budget announced a top-up of CAD607.9 (USD 425.3) million for LDV ZEV purchase rebates for the iZEV Program. Charging Infrastructure Investment
The ZEVIP issued a request for proposals to support the deployment of EV chargers, including fast chargers, in public and private location. This will deploy thousands of new chargers, building on Government efforts to deploy 84,500 EV chargers.

Vehicle and Charging Station Innovation Funding
In June, the Energy Innovation Program finalised preliminary selections for RD&D projects to overcome barriers to zero/low-emission medium and heavy duty vehicles (MHDVs), increasing ZEV adoption, and enhancing transportation system efficiency.8

ZEV Awareness and Education Investment
In August, the Zero-Emissions Vehicles Awareness Initiative invested in 35 projects to raise awareness and educate Canadians about ZEVs, public charging and refueling infrastructure, and clean fuels.

Development of Critical Minerals
One year after the release of Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy, a progress report was issued. The strategy has linkages to EV and battery materials, manufacturing, and innovation

EV and Battery Manufacturing Investments
Canada has attracted investments in ZEV manufacturing and battery material processing. In2024, Honda’s investment created Canada’s first EV supply chain.

Launch of the Canada Public Transit Fund
In July 2024, the Canada Public Transit Fund was launched to support public and active transit, including zero-emission solutions.13 Starting in 2026-27, this permanent program will invest an average of CAD 3 (USD 2.07) billion a year.

Demonstration Projects

Ontario Home & Roam Low Carbon EV Charging Ecosystem
This project developed the “Home & Roam” EV charging ecosystem integrating home charger installation with no upfront costs, the option to schedule charging, and access to public chargers via one account via an app18. The project also tested methods of minimizing local grid and broader electrical system impacts of charging at scale.

Zero Emission Trucking Program
The Zero Emission Trucking Program (ZETP) has expanded truck deployments to Alberta and British Columbia, alongside Québec. Over 185,000 kilometers of data from the Québec Testbed will be shared this autumn. The western testbeds will start in early 2025, providing insights on hydrogen fuel cell drivetrains. ZETP is investing CAD 4 million (USD 2.82 million) in seven projects to accelerate readiness for medium and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (MHZEVs) across Canada and will publish the results of its MHZEV low-speed sound testing campaign later this year.