Ontario is backing the use of electric cars and it's offering incentives to people who buy them. Current subsidies, in effect since 2010, could, in many cases, double.
It's part of Ontario's new climate change strategy. The plan is that a new modernized electric vehicle incentive program will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make it easier for residents of the province to switch to electric vehicles.
Premier Kathleen Wynne said it's vital to achieving Ontario's greenhouse gas pollution reduction target of 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050.
"Government's job is to put Ontario in a position where we can make the changes needed to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets, while at the same time driving new job creation and sustainable growth. And that's the significance of recognizing where an industry like the automotive industry is going and being prepared to make the investments necessary to be part of that new and growing industry," Wynne said.
The program will increase the current incentives to buy electric vehicles to as much as $10,000. There will also be more money for vehicles with larger battery capacities and for vehicles with five or more seats. In addition, there will be an incentive for people who buy and install chargers for home and business use.
Ontario has already pledged $20 million toward creating a network of fast-charging public recharging stations to support city-to-city travel across the province.
Currently there are just under 6,000 electric vehicles registered in Ontario.