Quebec plans to set minimum sale quota on electric cars
Couillard government to table bill setting minimum quota at 15.5%
The Quebec government wants to be the first Canadian province to set a minimum quota for the number of electric or low-emission cars sold.
Radio-Canada is reporting that the quota would be set at 15.5 per cent of all cars sold in the province by 2025.
The provincial government says it wants Quebec to follow in the footsteps of California, the first U.S. state to set a 15 per cent sales quota for electric and low-emission vehicles.
How it will work
The government wants to set up a system with car manufacturers that would see them gain credits or royalties for the number of electric vehicles they lease or sell.
The quota would apply to car manufacturers that sell more than 5,000 cars a year in the province.
Manufacturers that don't accumulate enough credits will be forced to pay a fine.
The government plans to create a registry that would keep track of all electric vehicles sold by each car manufacturer and the credits accumulated.
Electric cars up in Quebec
In Quebec, the number of owners of electric cars has doubled every year over the past four years.
The government has also introduced incentives. Drivers can receive a rebate of up to $8,000 on the purchase of an electric vehicle.
Last October, the government announced it was spending $420 million over the next five years on its new vehicle-electrification plan.
The government plans to install 785 public-access charging stations and 60 or so quick-charging stations. It will also ask businesses to install charging units for employees.
Hearings into the bill are expected to begin in the fall.
With files from Davide Gentile