Profiting from Pollution: How the auto industry is fighting back against clean car regulations

Car corporations have been working through their industry associations to lobby against the Canadian government’s plan to enforce its 100 per cent zero emission vehicle (ZEV) sales target by 2035.

This new report demonstrates the compliance pathway available to automakers and sheds light on how car corporations have ‘greenwashed’ their climate delay tactics so they can continue prioritizing their profits over the planet.

The federal government must not be deterred. It must deliver real climate action for Canadians by implementing a strong Clean Car Standard.

Enforcing the 100% zero emission vehicle (ZEV) sales targets by 2030 with a Clean Car Standard would:

• Ensure all ZEV sales targets are met, with sales even surpassing the 2026 target while cumulatively lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 135 million tonnes by 2035;

• Force automakers to provide more affordable mass-market electric vehicles, instead of just focusing on the luxury market - leading to a median ZEV price reduction of more than 20 per cent ($7200 CAD);

• Avoid subsidizing automaker profits and gasoline car prices while ensuring that the polluting auto industry bears their fair share of the cost of transition to ZEVs instead of the Canadian public.

This report, published on November 16, 2022, was created in collaboration with Environmental Defence.