Low carbon vehicles and electric vehicles

About low carbon vehicles

Low carbon vehicles (LCVs) are vehicles that produce low or zero tailpipe emissions. Low carbon vehicles include electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Electric vehicles

An electric vehicle (EV) is any vehicle that is partially or fully powered by electricity and plugs in to recharge. They can reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

There are two types of electric vehicles sold in Ontario for personal use:

Electric vehicle technology is used for many purposes in Ontario including passenger and commercial vehicles, rail, marine, aviation and more.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

A hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (HFCV) is any vehicle that uses electricity produced from hydrogen gas to power an electric motor. These vehicles only emit water and heat and do not produce tailpipe emissions.

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are an emerging zero-emissions transportation technology within Ontario.

Owning an electric vehicle

Drivers that own electric vehicles in Ontario can benefit from lower fuel and maintenance costs and reduced emissions.

Fuel and maintenance

• Charging electric vehicles costs less than gasoline and diesel. Most drivers save $1,500 to $2,500 per year.
• Charging at home can be the most convenient and affordable option for EV drivers. For example, by opting-in to Ontario’s Ultra-Low Overnight price plan, drivers can pay 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to charge their EV overnight and save up to $90 per year compared to charging during peak times.
• Public charging costs vary:
  • Level 2: about $1/hour
  • Level 3: $15–$20/hour
• Electric vehicles can reduce maintenance expenses by 40% to 50%, due to fewer moving parts and less frequent servicing requirements for oil changes, transmission, or exhaust systems).
• Regenerative braking systems allow EV brakes to last longer.

Driving range

• Many new fully electric cars can now travel around 500 kilometres on a single charge. Some plug-in hybrid electric cars can travel 40-80 kilometres on electric, with an additional 500-900 kilometres of gas range. The distance an electric vehicle can travel depends on:
  • vehicle type (battery electric or plug-in hybrid)
  • battery size
  • weight carried
  • temperature
  • accessories in use
  • an individual's driving style

Lower vehicle emissions

• Drivers could reduce their vehicle’s greenhouse gas emissions by 60-90% by driving battery electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and using Ontario’s low-carbon electricity to power their vehicles.

Programs for low carbon vehicles

Ontario is supporting the uptake of low and zero emission vehicles electric vehicles with:

• Ontario’s Green Licence Plate Program
• reserved parking for electric vehicle charging spaces required emissions testing for heavy diesel commercial vehicles
• Ontario’s EV ChargeON Program, funding the installation of public EV chargers in Ontario communities outside of major cities 

Electric vehicle data

We publish electric vehicle data on the Ontario Data Catalogue:  Electric Vehicles in Ontario – By Forward Sortation Area.

This dataset details the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in Ontario, including both battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The number of electrical vehicles is provided according to the Forward Sortation Area (FSA) (the first three characters of the postal code) of the vehicle’s registered address.