There were 1,219 electric vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2019, down from 2,633 in the same period in 2018, according to a report from Electric Mobility Canada. Meanwhile, major automakers in the U.S. have struck a deal with California to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions from their new vehicle fleets by 2026. The deal comes as U.S. President Donald Trump aims to roll back national emissions targets. (CBC, Washington Post)

Talking point: Electric Mobility Canada attributes the decline of electric-vehicle sales in Ontario, in part, to the July 2018 cancellation of Ontario’s Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program, which offered rebates of between $5,000 and $14,000 to customers who purchase of environmentally-friendly vehicles. At the same time, the federal government is trying to make electric-vehicle ownership more accessible. Federal rebates of up to $5,000 for Canadians who buy electric vehicles took effect in May 2019 and, earlier in June, Ottawa announced a $4.6-million investment for Suncor to build 92 electric-vehicle charging stations across the country.