Canada's Minister of Transport and U.S. Secretary of Transportation announce the first Canada and United States Alternative Fuel Corridor

DETROIT, May 16, 2023 /CNW/ - Transport Canada

More and more Canadians are opting for zero-emission vehicles and one of the ways to encourage these purchases is knowing that you will be able to charge your car on the road, especially for long distances. Given the number of Canadians and Americans crossing the border every day, people need to be sure they can get from point A to point B with their zero-emission vehicle. This certainty will help drive the adoption of more zero-emission vehicles, which will create good middle-class jobs, grow our economies, and reduce pollution on our roads.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra and Pete Buttigieg, United States Secretary of Transportation, announced the first Canada and United States Alternative Fuel Corridor.

The corridor meets the following requirements:

• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure would be installed every 80 km (50 miles); and
• Include at least one Direct Current (DC) fast chargers with Combined Charging System (CCS) ports.

The corridor runs from Kalamazoo, in Michigan, to Québec City, Québec. It passes along:

• I-94 highway, through the tunnel in Detroit to the Canadian side of the border;
• Highway 401, through Toronto;
• Highway 20 in Montréal; and,
• Highway 40 through Québec City.

Defining a binational Alternative Fuel Corridor will guarantee that Canadian and U.S. drivers will be able to travel across the border and charge their vehicles.

This corridor represents one of the busiest passenger and trade corridors between our two countries. It is also a hub for vehicle manufacturing and a key component of Canada's national transportation system, connecting major cities, ports, airports, railways, and highways. Canada will continue to increase capacity along this corridor and will work to enable future alternative fuel corridors as well.

Promoting growth in the automotive sector of the future and supporting the shift to a net-zero economy will have significant benefits for Canadian workers and the Canadian economy.

"Canada and the United States have built the world's largest market-based energy trading relationship, which provides a firm foundation as we strive to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. This first cross-border alternative fuel corridor will help drivers to travel across the border and charge or refuel worry-free. It contributes to bringing us another step closer to making our air cleaner while helping people save money on traditional fuels."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of Transport 

"We're making zero-emissions vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where people live, work and play. This corridor will put more Canadians and Americans in the driver's seat on the road to a net-zero future."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources

• On March 24, 2023, the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States released a Joint Statement, which announced that both countries will work to harmonize charging experience and develop cross-border alternative fuel corridors.
• The 215 stations along the Canadian highways are distributed as followed:
• 61 stations are between Detroit and Toronto, have at least one Direct Current Fast charger with a Combined Charging System connector, and are within 6 km of the highway.
• 154 stations between Toronto and Québec City, have at least one Direct Current Fast charger with a Combined Charging System connector, and are within 6 km of the highway.
• Making the shift to Electric Vehicles is critical to decarbonizing on-road transportation, which accounts for 23 percent of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions.
• To date, more than 211,000 incentives to purchase or lease a zero-emission vehicle have been provided to Canadians and Canadian businesses.

• Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden Joint Statement | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca)
• Joint Statement by Transport Canada and the U.S. Department of Transportation on the Nexus between Transportation and Climate Change - Canada.ca
• Backgrounder: Canada and the United States advance work to grow our clean economies and create good, middle-class jobs on both sides of our border | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca)
• Electric Charging and Alternative Fuelling Stations Locator
• Zero-emission vehicles (canada.ca)
• Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program
• Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative

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SOURCE Transport Canada