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.

The Ministry of Transportation and ServiceOntario will work with the plate manufacturer to develop the winning design for production in accordance with technical and readability standards. The plate is expected to become available in 2010.