Clean Energy Canada: A Revolution in the Making!

Clean energy drawing

Clean Energy Canada

By Joslin Jose, WE-CAN volunteer with Avi Dolgin

The September edition of the report Missing Out showcased an interesting data point:

“ Europe has 21 EVs selling for less than the equivalent of $40,000 and only one of those cars, a small, relatively low-range Fiat, is available in Canada.”

Missing Out, September 18, 2025, Clean Energy Canada

Missing Out was one of the reports from a study conducted by Clean Energy Canada, a think tank independently housed at Simon Fraser University. The report was Clean Energy Canada’s effort to analyze the European car market and identify the affordable EV options available compared to those in Canada.

Founded in 2015, Clean Energy Canada is an independently funded organization that works to support and accelerate Canada’s transition to clean energy through research, influential dialogue, informed policy leadership, and effective public engagement.

Clean Electric Vehicles

In conversation with Mark Zacharias, the Special Advisor at Clean Energy Canada, he shared, “We’ve been working in the area of EVs for over seven years now, taking on several aspects of it. One is working with provinces at the federal government level to make it a requirement that EVs are for sale in Canada and that automakers meet certain EV targets, which is an EV sales mandate. Secondly, we are working with governments to ensure that they provide point-of-sale incentives for EVs.”

They also actively advocate for more affordable EV models to be brought into Canada, potentially imported from Europe or Asia.

“We are just trying to give Canadians a choice in terms of the vehicle they drive,” Mark notes.

“ And while public charging is a necessary and helpful solution, ensuring wider EV adoption means making plugging in as convenient as possible, for as many as possible. Charging in multiunit buildings offers a host of benefits for drivers, utilities, electricity systems operators, and city planners alike. Apartment buildings are found in the majority of communities in Canada, although they are particularly prevalent in cities. In Toronto, they make up 40% of all households, and in Vancouver, 52%.”

Clean Energy Canada has also been recently involved in studies related to EV charging, working to address the common barrier that prevents people from buying EVs.

“We are currently working on most areas, right from charging at the municipal level to a national charging strategy,” Mark mentions. “The stated barrier to adoption of an EV keeps coming back to people going out and raising questions of how and where they charge. Some chargers work while some are not compatible with certain or all models, so we are currently working on these broader elements of the EV strategy,” Mark adds.

Clean Economy

“We do a lot of work on the clean economy,” notes Mark. “We look at the clean economy and the opportunities for Canada, including heavy industry—aluminium, chemicals, fertilizer, mining, critical minerals, etc.” he adds.

The organization aims to add value in these areas by collaborating with provincial and federal governments to attract foreign investment, and by helping industries transition to cleaner operations through electrification, replacing natural gas with hydrogen or other electrifying processes.

“We have recently started the Clean Economy Task Force focused on the clean economy, where we are working to get governments to recognize how eliminating barriers on interprovincial trade in the clean economy will help,” Mark mentions. 

“We look into different areas, building electricity ties between provinces, harmonizing labour standards so that an electrician can have a smooth and fair work transition between provinces. We also work on permitting regimes—how projects can get permitted in time, and innovative financing mechanisms that will regularize grants, incentives, and rebates to companies,” he adds.

The team also actively works to improve transportation infrastructure in the province. They focus on building systems that ease the transport of low-carbon goods across coasts and support export marketing.

“The Canadian export markets for clean exports are growing by leaps and bounds!” Mark exclaims. “We need to prepare and do things now to be able to sell into those markets and prepare our economy,” he adds.

Clean Energy

Clean Energy Canada focuses extensively on energy.

“We are working towards getting Canada-wide distributed energy systems and providing resources. These resources will help answer questions like how to build rooftop solar, how your vehicle not only gets fed from the grid, but how your utility can take control of your car battery to actually feed power back into the grid,” Mark mentions.

A significant area of focus for the group also involves household clean technologies. These include EV heat pumps, smart thermostats, rooftop solar, battery systems, and home retrofits.

“ But the real impact of households is greater still. As more and more households globally adopt rooftop solar panels, EVs, heat pumps, battery storage systems, and more, the share of total energy investments made by households has doubled over the past decade. In advanced economies with strong policy support, households have accounted for nearly 60% of energy-investment growth since 2016. “

“We have a large focus on smart homes, specifically consumers adopting clean technologies that result in lower energy bills. You are actually better off financing over time and going clean rather than using fossil fuels. We continue to spread this message to people and also support local governments and provinces that provide incentives around some of these clean technologies,” Mark notes.

The executive summary of the report Empowering Households by Clean Energy Canada mentions, “

“There are many ways to measure the impact of a climate solution, but often it helps to take the long view. How do we spur the transformational change needed for an electrified, net-zero world? How do we build government will for an energy transition that must persist through an ever-shifting political landscape?”

This is the question Clean Energy Canada puts forward, as the team works to open new markets and expand opportunities for clean energy and a cleaner economy in Canada—positioning EVs as the next revolution in the making.

Resources for Further Reading:

Clean Energy Canada Website: https://cleanenergycanada.org/

Clean Energy Canada releases reports and submissions, related to all the topics mentioned in the article above, read full reports here: https://cleanenergycanada.org/publications/

Resources: https://cleanenergycanada.org/resources/

Stories and Webinars: https://cleanenergycanada.org/stories/

Media and News: https://cleanenergycanada.org/news/