British Columbia’s transition to lower-emission transportation is important. New car dealers across the province see that transition happening every day in their showrooms.
But successful public policy also depends on something very basic: credibility. That is why recently reported information about BC Hydro’s vehicle fleet deserves attention.
According to an Freedom of Information Request highlighted by the Energy Futures Institute, less than three per cent of BC Hydro’s light-duty passenger vehicle fleet is electric. At the same time, British Columbia’s Zero-Emission Vehicles Act requires 26 per cent of new light-duty vehicle sales in the province to be zero-emission vehicles in 2026.
Those are not precisely the same measures – one concerns the composition of an existing fleet and the other new vehicle sales – and the distinction matters.
But so does the larger conversation. As a new provincial government begins its mandate, it should consider whether British Columbia’s current approach to vehicle electrification is aligned with the realities facing consumers, industry and government itself.
If the province expects consumers and the automotive industry to make a significant transition to zero-emission vehicles, is it unreasonable to expect government and its Crown Corporations to demonstrate leadership in making that transition themselves?
BC Hydro, after all, is the Crown Corporation at the centre of electrification in British Columbia. It is responsible for helping build the infrastructure that will support increased electricity demand and EV adoption.
That makes the composition of its own light-duty fleet a legitimate subject of public discussion.
For new car dealers, however, the issue goes beyond BC Hydro. It speaks to a much larger question about how British Columbia approaches the transition to lower-emission transportation, and whether BC’s current policies position the province for long-term success.
Our members support that transition. Dealers have invested significantly in new technology, training, charging infrastructure and facilities to accommodate the rapidly changing vehicles entering the marketplace.
What we have consistently questioned is whether rigid sales mandates are the most effective way to get us where we all want to go.
Consumers do not make vehicle purchasing decisions based on government targets. They make them based on affordability, availability, how far they drive, where they live, whether they can conveniently charge a vehicle and, ultimately, whether that vehicle works for their family or business.
Those realities vary enormously between someone living in a Vancouver condominium, a family in Prince George, a contractor in Kamloops or a small business operating in rural British Columbia. That’s why flexibility matters.
Ottawa has already reconsidered its approach to EV sales requirements. In 2025, the federal government put the brakes on its 2026 EV sales while it developed a new national approach focused on emissions targets. We believe BC should align with that direction, providing industry with greater flexibility while a longer-term, national policy is developed.
Government can establish clear and ambitious emissions-reduction objectives while giving manufacturers, dealers and consumers greater flexibility to determine how those objectives can best be achieved. The focus should be on the outcome – reducing emissions, rather than prescribing a particular technology or vehicle type.
Electric vehicles will unquestionably be an important part of that future. So will continued improvements in vehicle technology, infrastructure and consumer choice. But lasting transitions are more likely to succeed when consumers see value in making them, when infrastructure supports them and when government policy reflects marketplace realities.
With the provincial election in the rearview mirror, the new government has an opportunity to review British Columbia’s transportation policies and ensure they are both ambitious and achievable.
If British Columbia intends to maintain ambitious targets for consumers and industry, British Columbians are entitled to expect policies that are practical, flexible and grounded in real-world conditions.
The new government has an opportunity to make this a priority, and the NCDA stands ready to help build a transportation policy framework that delivers meaningful emissions reductions while earning the confidence of consumers and industry alike.
Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. You can email him at [email protected].
