The Energy Futures Institute released a copy of a government slideshow presentation on Tuesday (June 24) that reveals the B.C. government is considering easing electric vehicle mandates due to slumping sales.
“It’s been obvious for a long time that B.C.’s electric vehicle targets were unattainable,” said Barry Penner, Energy Futures Institute chair and former B.C. Liberal environment minister, in a news release.
B.C. passed the Zero Emission Vehicles Act in 2019, becoming the first jurisdiction in the world to mandate 100 per cent electric vehicle sales by a specific target date. The target is only for vehicles under a certain weight category. By 2026, 26 per cent of vehicle sales must be for electric models. By 2030, this must be 90 per cent and by 2035, 100 per cent.
Automakers selling cars in B.C. are required to demonstrate they are meeting the targets.
The slideshow, dated June 18 and presented by Nat Gosman, an assistant deputy minister from the Energy and Climate Solutions ministry, acknowledges that electric vehicle sales in B.C. have “levelled off” and reaching the mandated targets at this point will be “challenging.”
According to the presentation, sales were at 15.3 per cent in April after averaging 18.5 per cent in the first three months of 2025 and 22.4 per cent in 2024.
Hellbound and Down 