Canada to Ban Gas-Powered Cars Five Years Earlier Than Planned

Another one bites the dust – Canada officially announced they’ll be banning gas-powered vehicles by 2035. The plan is to phase out sales of new gas-and-diesel-engined cars. Their 2035 plans consist of investments in charging infrastructure and aid to automakers to plan for EV production. The announcement comes as another crippling blow to the future for internal combustion engines.

Our neighbors to the north have put their plans of transitioning to zero-emission vehicles into overdrive. Their initial projection was 2040, but the change was announced by the Transport Minister recently. Canada is in the process of planning interim targets for 2025 and 2030 on the way to meeting their goals. They’re doing this with a combination of investments and new regulations. They’ll also include incentives to assist with the upfront costs of EV vehicles.

Canada is looking to follow various European countries and adopting these new principles of a “zero-emission future,” but it’s likely there will be problems along the way. For example, power grids in states like California, the eighth largest economy in the world, shut down when temperatures rise, leading to rolling blackouts. Canada’s plan to adopt this countrywide is ambitious, to say the least, but will serve as an example to the United States, who is looking to follow suit on what how it can be implemented.

The 2035 plan is part of Canada’s goal to be emission-free by 2050. The federal government is currently offering a $5,000 subsidy for EV purchases under $55,000. Quebec is offering an $8,000 subsidy on top of the federal subsidy, meaning you could pick up a Tesla, if that’s what you so please. Again, these plans are rather ambitious, and we’ll be watching closely to see how the residents of Canada adopt these plans.

Their success in implementing this on a broad scale will hinge on some factors out of government control, including whether charging stations can be built fast enough along major highways. Although Canada boasts a population of under 40 million, this could pose some real problems if automakers aren’t ready to produce the amount of battery-powered cars needed or if charging stations aren’t built when these laws go in place.

Many U.S. states have also proposed these ideas, with California planning to phase out gas and diesel-engined light vehicles by 2035 through governor executive action. Massachusetts also followed suit by going full California. Washington proposed a similar bill to take place by 2030, but it was vetoed by the governor a few months ago.

These are some trying times for internal combustion engines. However, as long as enthusiasts are around, it will live on for the foreseeable future. Embracing change isn’t bad, but it shouldn’t be forced, especially if we’re not technologically ready to meet these lofty goals.