Today’s announcement of the Canadian government's new regulations and targets for sales of electric vehicles (actually zero-emissions vehicles) by 2035 was followed in short order by official reactions from other stakeholders in the industry. Among them, Hyundai Canada, which has already issued an official response.
See: Ottawa Confirms Targets for Electric Vehicle Sales in Canada
The Korean automaker is one of the most active players on the electrifications front, so its reaction is worth paying attention to.
Yes, but…
In essence, Hyundai Canada supports the objectives set out by the Canadian government. But there are caveats. The company believes the success of the program “is dependent on enhanced efforts to address two essential areas required for consumer adoption: charging infrastructure and ZEV affordability.”
“The federal government's announcement today is a step in the right direction to maintain the trajectory towards a zero-emission future. We share the government's vision that the future lies in all-electric vehicles that produce zero emissions.
However, the adoption of electric vehicles by Canadian consumers cannot rely solely on the availability of these vehicles… Dedicated investment in charging infrastructure is required, particularly for Canadians living outside urban centers… Zero-emission vehicles are currently more expensive to manufacture until this technological transition can be produced on a large scale. We call on the government to continue to provide financial support to Canadians to facilitate this transition and achieve the sales targets set out today.”
- Don Romano, President and CEO of Hyundai Canada
Hyundai has moved aggressively towards electrification, and it aims to attain carbon neutrality by 2045. The Korean automaker plans to launch more than 17 new electric models worldwide by 2030, 11 of them under the Hyundai brand and six Genesis models.
The company is also one of seven manufacturers who have entered a partnership to develop a network of charging stations in North America. This project, which will create 30,000 fast-charging stations, is designed to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles.