Hoss Hassani, General Motors' vice president of charging and energy, believes the Canadian EV market is progressing well overall, despite slower sales in Ontario. While zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) accounted for about six percent of new registrations in the United States, Canada saw a near double-digit share in the final quarter of 2022. However, Ontario's adoption of EVs lags behind other provinces, with ZEVs comprising only 8.1 percent of new registrations compared to 18.6 percent in British Columbia and 13.9 percent in Quebec. Hassani attributes Ontario's shortfall to Premier Doug Ford's decision in 2018 to eliminate EV incentives worth up to $14,000 for qualifying vehicles. This move slowed down adoption, particularly for affordable EVs, as seen in provinces like B.C. and Quebec, where similar incentives resulted in higher adoption rates. Despite Ontario's lag, Ford shifted the government's focus to promoting the province as a hub for electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, emphasizing the importance of incentives for accelerating EV adoption.
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