Ontario introduces green vehicle license plates

The province of Ontario in Canada has introduced a new green vehicle license plate for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. The province describes the plate and the benefits associated with it:

Ontarians have voted for a new vehicle licence plate that will encourage consumers to switch to environmentally-friendly cars and trucks.

The new plate will have green lettering on a white background with the picture of a trillium in the middle. It was selected from four choices in an online vote that ran from July to October.

Drivers sporting these plates on a plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicle will be able to:

• Use Ontario’s High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes until 2015, even if there is just one person in the vehicle
• Access recharging facilities at GO Transit and other provincially operated parking lots
• Use designated parking spots at the University of Toronto and private companies such as Walmart Canada.