The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Ottawa is set to scrap its policy requiring electric vehicles to make up a growing share of passenger-vehicle sales, as part of a new national automotive strategy. A triple-bylined item led by Eric Atkins reports that the plan is for the zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate will be replaced by a return to tailpipe-emissions regulations. Ottawa will also bring back EV-purchase rebates for consumers and promise new investments in charging infrastructure. The decision to scrap the ZEV mandate follows a decision by Prime Minister Mark Carney last September to suspend the policy pending a 60-day review. There have been no updates since. The mandate was first announced in 2022 and was intended to ensure an array of EV options to Canadian consumers while providing demand certainty around charging infrastructure and power needs. The mandate's demise will be welcomed by carmakers, which have long lobbied against the policy, arguing that there is neither sufficient consumer demand nor adequate charging capacity to meet the mandate's targets of battery, fuel-cell or plug-in hybrid vehicles making up 60 per cent of national vehicle sales by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035.
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