Transport Canada opens the roads to EVs

Transport Canada has given the yellow light to no-emission, electric trucks on Canadian roads. The new guidelines announced earlier this week extends the federal definition of low-speed vehicles to include to 40 km/h electric trucks.

Up to the provinces
There is one small catch though it's up to provincial regulators to decide where the trucks will be allowed.

Transport Canada suggests these trucks are designed solely for small uses such as grounds keeping, landscaping, and in certain industrial and institutional settings such as campuses and resorts. Despite research that says otherwise, Transport Canada feels electric cars and trucks " provide a substantially lower level of safety than conventional types of vehicles."

Believed not as safe
"The marketing of zero-emissions, electric low-speed trucks in Canada is good news. These low-speed trucks are environmentally friendly and represent one more step in our government's ambitious environmental agenda," said Minister Cannon. "While greener vehicles are the future, LSVs should be used in controlled low-speed environments like campuses and retirement communities, where the risk of entering into a collision with a faster motor vehicle would be lower than on public roads."

The Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa, which promotes the use of electric vehicles, said the guidelines are a step forward but they might also restrict low-speed vehicles to gated communities, campuses and resorts.

Things moving faster in la belle province
Meanwhile, Quebec's electric car manufacturers say they can't produce their product fast enough to meet demand and have put clients' names on waiting lists.
A revolution has hit the province since Transport Minister Julie Boulet's announcement that two low-speed, locally-assembled electric vehicles (EVs) would be allowed on municipal roads in the province.

Despite the both the electric Zenn car and electric NEMO truck have been produced for many years in Quebec, manufacturers were unable to sell it in the province due to the speed regulations.

Things have changed since the announcement.

"We've had to tell our suppliers to really pick up the pace of production because of all the inquiries we've received," said Nemo company president Jacques Rancourt. "The response has been really strong." Rancourt said about 50 municipalities in Quebec have expressed an interest in Nemo trucks.

There are now more than 400 requests for Zenns.