Toronto, Ontario – The Ontario government has announced a series of measures and incentives, called the “1 in 20 by 2020” plan, that it said will result in one out of every 20 passenger vehicles on the road being electric by the year 2020.
The plan includes the following measures:
– The provincial government will offer consumers a rebate of between $4,000 and $10,000 for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles purchased after July 1, 2010 to help reduce the higher cost of buying electric vehicles (EVs). The high end of the rebate will be the highest in Canada and among the highest in the world.
– To reward early adopters, the government will introduce a unique green vehicle license plate for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. It will allow them to use Ontario’s high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for five years, starting in 2010, even if there is only one person in the vehicle. It will also allow the vehicle access to public recharging facilities at select Ontario government and GO Transit parking lots, while the University of Toronto and private companies such as Walmart Canada will designate priority parking spots for vehicles with green plates. The public can vote on designs for the new plates at the Ministry of Transportation’s website.
– The government will purchase EVs for the Ontario Public Service fleet, and by 2020, 20 per cent of eligible passenger vehicle purchases for the fleet will be electric.
– Ontario will build infrastructure for charging EVs through a combination of private sector companies and Ontario’s existing electricity utilities. Parking facilities owned by the Ontario government and GO Transit will be integrated with recharging stations, while Ontario is working with the private sector and electricity organizations to develop business models for recharging facilities that will work within the province’s regulated electricity market.
