British Columbia will cover up to $100,000 toward the cost of an electric medium- or heavy-duty vehicles through an expanded CleanBC Specialty-Use Vehicle Incentive (SUVI) and Commercial Vehicle Pilot (CVP) program.

The rebates – covering up to 1/3 of the cost of eligible vehicles – are double those that were already in place.

“Through CleanBC, we’re making cleaner options more affordable to help businesses recover and save on costs while doing their part to reduce air pollution,” said Bruce Ralston, minister of energy, mines, and low carbon innovation.

The StrongerBC economic recovery plan will inject $31 million in related funding available to businesses, local and regional governments, public sector organizations, and non-profit organizations adopting specialty-use zero-emission vehicles.

Eligible vehicles include battery electric or hydrogen-fueled passenger buses, airport and port service vehicles, and heavy-duty transport trucks, as well as smaller specialty vehicles such as motorcycles, cargo e-bikes, and low-speed utility trucks.

Tourism-related businesses such as restaurants and other hospitality businesses can access up to 66% of the cost of eligible medium- and heavy-duty vehicles or shuttle buses, up to a maximum of $100,000 per vehicle.

Provincial organizations can tap into $11 million in support through the Commercial Vehicle Pilot program for unique pilot projects or larger deployments.

Those applying for that support will need to deploy at least six Class 3-4 zero-emission vehicles, or three Class 5-6 models. There is no minimum deployment set for Class 7 or 8 vehicles to receive the funding.

Commercial vehicles accounted for about 60% of the province’s transportation-related emissions and 22% of total emissions in 2018, the province said.