During the past week, the government of Ontario and the City of Vancouver have both made announcements concerning electric cars.

In Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that Ontario would provide rebates of between $4,000 and $10,000 to offset the price of plug-in hybrid and and battery-powered vehicles. At current levels, Ontario’s rebates will be the most attractive in North America.  As a further incentive, buyers of electric cars will also get special licence plates that will allow them to use carpool lanes, even if there is only one person in the vehicle.

The aim of this program is to have one out of every 20 vehicles in Ontario electrically powered by 2010. The Ontario government hopes that expanding the use of electric cars in Ontario will create jobs in Ontario and put Ontario at the forefront of the green economy.

On the other side of Canada, Vancouver’s city council has unanimously approved new regulations for electric vehicle charging stations. Under the regulations, developers will have to provide charging stations for at least 20 percent of parking stalls in new condominium developments.  The regulations come into effect in mid-2010.