![\"Text](\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/a\/assets\/texttospeech.svg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Listen to this article<\/p>\n
Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n
The federal government pitched its new tailpipe standards as a way to make fuel-efficient cars more accessible to Canadians. But two groups advocating for low-emission travel say the rules would put the country short of its goal \u2014 and ultimately leave most Canadians at the mercy of high gas prices.<\/p>\n
The rules are meant to replace the Trudeau-era electric vehicle sales mandate. Aside from increasing the availability of EVs, the government said there would be an upside for anyone who still buys a new gas-powered car: better fuel economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The regulations, known as vehicle emissions standards, set averages for tailpipe exhaust from new vehicles. Automakers can comply by producing more EVs and redesigning gas-powered cars to be more efficient. <\/p>\n
But two independent analyses suggest the regulations likely won’t lead to 75 per cent of all new car sales being electric by 2035.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mark Carney set that target in February, when he said the government would be releasing\u00a0new vehicle exhaust standards moving from “172 grams per mile of driving to about 74 grams per mile.”<\/a><\/p>\n A new report<\/a> from a non-profit that works to provide analysis to environmental regulators, the International Council on Clean Transportation, found this would lead to a 62 to 68 per cent EV adoption rate in 2035.<\/p>\n The council is calling for the federal government to adopt a stronger vehicle emissions standard in an era of persistent higher gas prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n “These are complicated regulations but ultimately what they deliver are savings in the pockets of drivers,” said one of the report’s authors, Leticia Pineda, who is advocating for more robust standards for vehicle tailpipe emissions. <\/p>\n “What they do is they incentivize the most efficient vehicles and also electric vehicles.”\u00a0<\/p>\n WATCH | EV interest growing elsewhere: What can Canada learn from Mexico about Chinese EVs?<\/p>\n Beginning this week, Chinese electric vehicle makers can apply to import EVs to Canada at a reduced tariff rate. CBC Radio’s The Current was in Mexico City recently to test drive a Chinese EV. The vehicles have been available in Mexico for years.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783425191_364_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n