Canada saw an uptick in zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) registrations in 2018, buoyed by government rebate programs in three provinces.

Figures from Statistics Canada released Monday show 43,655 ZEVs were registered last year, representing a 115 per cent increase from 2017.

New electric or hybrid electric vehicles accounted for only 2.2 per cent of new registrations of motor vehicles in Canada.

Since the start of the decade, sales of new ZEVs in Canada have grown exponentially. In 2011, only 518 ZEVs were added onto the motor vehicle registry.

Almost all ZEV registrations in 2018 occurred in three provinces: Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.

However, figures for Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia were not included because of “contractual limitations of the existing data sharing agreement.”

The three provinces with the highest ZEV registrations each have or had rebate programs in 2018 aimed at boosting emission-less vehicle sales.

In 2018, British Columbians were able to receive a rebate of up to $5,000 under a provincial program and up to $6,000 for trading in an older car. The $5,000 incentive was reduced to $3,000 earlier this year. In Quebec, a rebate of up to $8,000 is also offered for new ZEVs.

Ontario had offered an incentive of up to $14,000 for electric and hydrogen vehicles, but the Ford government slammed the brakes on the program in July 2018, along with the province’s cap-and-trade system, which funded the incentives.

Monday’s release found growth in ZEV registrations was slower in Ontario compared to Quebec and B.C.

The federal government also launched its own ZEV rebate program in May, worth up to $5,000 and able to be added on to existing provincial programs.

A report by Electric Mobility Canada released earlier this month suggests sales in 2019 would eclipse 2018 figures. However, Ontario was the only province to see a dip in sales in the third quarter of 2019 compared to the same time in 2018.

The advocacy group’s numbers show ZEV sales in B.C. have exceeded 10 per cent and seven per cent in Quebec since the introduction of the federal incentive.

Transport Canada’s figures show more than 14,000 ZEVs were bought or leased in the first three months of the program.

Statistics Canada’s numbers also show full battery electric vehicles eclipsed plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in registrations in 2018.

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Currently, the most popular electric vehicle on Canadian streets is the Tesla Model 3.

Transportation-related activities account for roughly a quarter of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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