British Columbians buy more electric vehicles than any other jurisdiction in North America: province

B.C. residents are leading the pack when it comes to purchasing electric vehicles in North America, according to the provincial government.

A review of all light-duty vehicle sales in the province last year found that 13 per cent of all cars sold were electric or zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).

"With the highest reported uptake rate of ZEVs in North America, B.C. is quickly becoming a leader in the ZEV industry," said Energy Minister Bruce Ralston in a statement Friday.

The province says it's also trying to encourage businesses to transition heavy-duty commercial vehicles to ZEVs, even though it's traditionally hard to "decarbonize" them.

According to the province, commercial vehicles accounted for roughly 60 per cent of B.C.'s transportation emissions in 2019, and 25 per cent of the province's overall emissions.

To assist companies with transitioning to alternative heavy-duty vehicles, the province says it's launched two programs, the Go Electric Commercial Vehicle Pilots (CVP) program and the Specialty-Use Vehicle Incentive (SUVI) program.

Through the SUVI program, roughly $3.5 million has been provided to companies and other entities through 777 provincial rebates since 2017, the province said.

Another $9.6 million has been dispersed through the CVP program, which launched last year. Some of that funding went towards the construction of 11 commercial vehicle charging stations, according to the province.

B.C. was the first jurisdiction to implement a 100 per cent zero-emission vehicles law, and the province says it's still committed to that goal.

The Zero-Emissions Vehicles Act requires at least 26 per cent of all light-duty vehicle sales to be ZEVs by 2026, 90 per cent by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2035, five years ahead of the original target.