British Columbia is discontinuing its zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) rebate program later this month, attributing the decision to a government-wide review of expenditures and ongoing economic uncertainty.
On Tuesday, the B.C. government declared that it will temporarily suspend the CleanBC Go Electric rebate program, which provided rebates ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 for electric vehicle (EV) purchases and $500 to $2,000 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) for consumers earning less than $100,000.
The program will pause on May 15 or sooner as funds run out—allowing the provincial government to reassess its objectives and future of the scheme.
The announcement follows the release of British Columbia’s 2024 annual Zero-Emission Vehicle Update. According to the report, the province has invested over $650 million in clean transportation initiatives since 2011. The effort resulted in the number of ZEVs on B.C. roads increasing from just 5,000 in 2016 to nearly 197,000 today.
The report highlighted that ZEVs made up 22.4% of all light-duty vehicle sales in 2024. It also mentioned 400 new registrations of medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs during the year and noted that the number of public charging stations in the province has grown from 781 in 2016 to over 7,027 in 2024.
Although there has been growth, the share of light-duty vehicle sales represented by ZEVs has stayed below 23% in the last two years.
In a statement, the Global Automakers of Canada expressed that British Columbia’s ZEV mandate sets some of the most ambitious targets globally. They affirmed that the government’s decision to pause the rebate program has further complicated efforts for automakers to achieve these goals.
The current mandate requires 26% of light-duty vehicle sales to be ZEVs by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035. Manufacturers failing to meet these targets may face fines of up to $20,000 for each additional fossil-fuel-powered vehicle.
Blair Qualey, president of the New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia, remarked that without financial support through rebates either from Ottawa or Victoria, combined with the rising costs caused by tariffs, achieving the EV sales targets would be unattainable for manufacturers and dealers.
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