Québec joins U.S. states to accelerate zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles in North America

The Government of Québec is taking part in the work of the Multi-State ZEV Task Force, a coalition of 16 U.S. states that will work together to accelerate the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in their territories.

Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, Minister Responsible for the Fight against Racism and Minister Responsible for the Laval Region, made the announcement during a speech at the Fleet Show—an electromobility event held in parallel with New York Climate Week.

By joining the initiative, Québec will collaborate in developing a joint action plan that will introduce a set of measures governments will be able draw on to expedite the adoption of standards for heavy-duty electric vehicles in their territories.

In its 2030 Plan for a Green Economy, the Québec government announced its intention to define a standard for heavy-duty vehicles. The adoption of such a standard would help Québec achieve its goal to electrify 55 per cent of city buses and 65 per cent of school buses by 2030 and reduce oil consumption by 40 per cent over the same period.

“The transport of goods and passengers is a highly integrated sector in North America,” said Minister Charette. “Through our participation in the work of the ZEV Task Force on heavy vehicles, we will benefit from the knowledge developed by our partners in this sector, exchange information on the best practices to adopt, and share our expertise. It is also an opportunity to raise awareness about our Québec electromobility players as well as those involved in the electric vehicle battery value chain and to explore possible partnerships with our American neighbours.”