Sask. environmental researcher addresses concerns around new electric vehicle policy

On Tuesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada announced that 20 per cent of all cars, SUVs, crossovers and light-duty pickups sold must emit zero emissions by 2026, 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035.

Jim Clifford, a Tesla owner and environmental researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, is on board with the policy.

“Broadly speaking, it’s a good policy that is going to help Canada meet its international commitments,” Clifford says.

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While the policy will aim to bring down emissions and combat climate change, Clifford says it won’t come without worries, such as whether the province has enough charging infrastructure.

“They’ve now put in chargers in Kindersley, Sask. in Yorkton, Sask. there’s chargers in (Prince Albert) Sask.,” says Clifford. “There’s chargers in most of the southern communities. So, you can get almost anywhere in the southern half of Saskatchewan today.”

Clifford emphasizes that, given the ambitious timeline, the need for more charging infrastructure to support 100 per cent EVs by 2023 is urgent.

He’s confident it’s achievable, judging by the advancements made in the last five years. However, his main concern is how the electrical grid will handle household charging.

“We’re looking at ways to enhance our distribution and transmission networks. As well as our generating capacity,” says Scott McGregor with SaskPower.

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Although electric vehicles tend to be more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles, Clifford remains optimistic that the carmaker credit incentive will create a market environment leading to a reduction in costs, making EVs more affordable for Canadians.

The incentive entails carmakers earning, losing, and banking credits. Carmakers can earn credits worth $20,000 for every vehicle with an all-electric range of at least 80 kilometers for meeting or exceeding sales targets. However, they will lose credits for falling short of sales targets.

“They have to start selling more and more electric vehicles each year. If they don’t, they will have to buy credits from the companies that do,” Clifford added. “That creates a big incentive to start producing cars people want to buy. Or they will lose market shares to companies like Tesla, that are already doing that.”