The provincial Conservation Council is “quite pleased” to see New Brunswick has joined the federal government and other provinces in generating incentives to help people buy non-polluting vehicles.
The New Brunswick Electric Vehicle Incentive Program offers rebates to those who buy or lease eligible new and used electric vehicles.
Louise Comeau, director of the CCNB’s Climate Change and Energy Program, said the goal as we are solving climate change is to reach an entirely non-polluting reality.
“This is a big step because transportation is such a big part of the pollution problem that is causing climate change,” Comeau said.
Concerns have been raised about the lack of charging stations in New Brunswick.
Comeau said more investment is needed in charging infrastructure along with more available supply for electric vehicles.
“We know that auto manufacturers are anticipating that and starting to get the vehicles into dealerships much more quickly,” Comeau said.
Comeau said most analysis today finds that by 2030, 2035 we won’t even be selling vehicles with internal combustion engines that burn gasoline.
“We’d even like to see that happen more quickly but, the reality is, our vehicles whether it’s your car, truck, transport trucks, taxis, buses. Everything will be run on battery or fuel cell and we’ll be moving to a non-polluting system,” Comeau said.
The Conservation Council also noted the greenhouse gas impact of this change.
In a news release, the CCNB said “greenhouse gas emissions from road transportation in New Brunswick, that includes family vehicles, public transit, garbage trucks, and transport trucks, contributed 23 per cent of New Brunswick’s 12.4 million tonnes of annual greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. Light-duty cars and trucks generate almost 70% of that amount. Each car, on average, generates 4.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year (based on 2,000 litres of fuel a year), according to Natural Resources Canada because Canadians buy large, inefficient vehicles. Changing our transportation habits is one of the biggest contributions consumers can make to slowing climate change.”
New Brunswick now joins its neighbours—Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador, in offering a rebate for purchasing an #electricvehicle, #Hybrid or #electricvehiclecharger. #climatesolutions #NB https://t.co/onhhUzUa00
— Conservation Council (@cc_nb) July 8, 2021
This is great news! #EV adoption is essential to reach #NetZero50 and supports our ongoing work with the public and private sectors to plan for and provide EV charging options in #sjnb and in communities around the Maritimes: https://t.co/QVVQQEybRE #poweringourfuture https://t.co/f7lThySm69
— Saint John Energy (@SJEnergy) July 9, 2021
