Quebec electric vehicle law sparks concern within automotive industry
MONTREAL — Automakers are expressing concern that it will be difficult to comply with a new law in Quebec that requires them to sell a minimum number of electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
Starting with the 2018 model year, 3.5 per cent of all auto sales in the province will have to be from those types of vehicles. That threshold will rise to 15.5 per cent for 2025 models. Quebec is the only province that has such legislation.
Companies that don’t meet that threshold will have to buy credits from other automakers that do. It’s unclear what penalties automakers would face if they violate the law, as regulations that would define that have not been released.
“It’s very aggressive,” David Adams, president of the Global Automakers of Canada, said last week at the Montreal Auto Show.