Canada recently demonstrated its commitment to environmental conservation after it became the first country to sign the Drive to Zero Pledge.
The Drive to Zero pledge is initiative taking place internationally and it aims to facilitate speed up the shift towards clean energy as a way of maintaining the environment. The initiative is led by a California-based advocate for cleaner technology in the transportation industry. Some of its partners previously included fuel suppliers, fleets, manufacturers, cities and now Canada has been added to the list.
It aligns with the call by global leaders to reduce the impact of emissions on the environment. Canada is the first country to subscribe to the initiative, through which it pledged to adopt low emission and zero emission heavy-duty commercial vehicles in the public sector, especially in transportation.
“It’s so important that we look at our medium- and heavy-duty vehicles … our buses and trucks. We can be doing a lot better,” stated Catherine McKenna, the Canadian Minister in charge of Environment and Climate Change.
McKenna announced that Canada was moving forward with the pledge for the Drive to Zero Pledge initiative on Tuesday at a clean energy conference held in Vancouver. The event hosted key private industry contributors from different countries and it was aimed at providing an avenue through which they could come up with ideas on how to shift to a low emissions economy.
The Canadian Minister also expressed excitement about Canada being at the helm in the journey towards the adoption of cleaner energy solutions in the commercial sector. The goal of the Drive to Zero Pledge is to make sure that zero-emission technology will be viable for mainstream commercial use by 2025. It aims to make sure that long haul trucks, school buses, and other heavy-duty vehicles will use the zero-emissions technology.
Drive to Zero Pledge’s goal is not farfetched considering that there are companies that already have such technology existing today. Canada is one of the countries where the renewable energy movement is gaining popularity and people are switching to electric cars. The Drive to Zero Pledge might just give Canada the nudge that it needs to further develop its electric vehicle industry.
There are a few Canadian companies that have their operations in the electric vehicle industry. Some of them include Canadian Electric Vehicles Ltd. Which electric cars, electric trucks, and other electric vehicles for industrial use. Toronto-based D&V Electronics Ltd. is another Canadian company that has its operations in the electric vehicle industry. It provides systems that are used to test electric powertrains.
There is also Azure Dynamics which is a Canadian firm that creates commercial control systems for electric and hybrid vehicle powertrains. The Drive to Zero Pledge provides a chance for such companies in Canada’s electric vehicle industry to thrive.
Canada’s involvement in the initiative marks a significant step forward that the founders of the Drive to Zero Pledge initiative hope will encourage more countries to jump on board. The move will align the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles in the commercial sector with the rapidly growing adoption in the private sector.
