The proposed targets aim for 45% of new vehicles to be EVs in 2027, compared to 34% currently.
Quebec targets were already tougher than federal targets.
Opponents say this could lead to higher vehicle prices and thus keep more older vehicles on the road.
Quebec has revised its targets for the electrification of the transportation sector by making them more stringent than before.
While the province already had higher targets than the rest of Canada, officials believe they are necessary to accelerate the reduction in greenhouse gasses.
According to the proposition, Quebec would require 45% of new cars sold in the province to be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) by 2027, and 85% by 2030.
For comparison, its current targets call for 34% and 65% at these dates respectively while Canadian federal targets are set at 23% and 60%.
Proponents of this revision claim that this could help significantly reduce emissions coming from the transport sector, which is currently responsible for 42% of the greenhouse gasses generated in Quebec.
To enforce these new targets, the province will also toughen its penalties. Since the first ZEV targets were announced in 2018, Quebec has used a credit system that sees automakers receive credits by selling zero-emissions vehicles.
This credit is calculated based on the total sales volume of each manufacturer and it can be sold to other companies that can’t provide enough EVs to reach their target.
If an automaker fails to sell the required number of EVs and can’t make up the difference by purchasing credits from competitors, the current system gives them a $5,000 fine.
Along with the proposed new targets, this fine will be replaced by penalties of $20,000 per vehicle, making it unprofitable to sell vehicles in the province for companies that are late to the EV game.
Opponents to the revision say that this could push automakers to simply limit the total number of vehicles they sell in the province in order to keep a proportion of EVs that matches with the ZEV mandate.
According to the president of the Corporation of Quebec Automobile Dealers (CCAQ), this could lead to an increase in new car prices across the board and thus force many drivers to keep older and more polluting vehicles on the road.
The CCAQ says this situation proves the need for a uniform standard across Canada since as the moment, every province sets its own ZEV rules in addition to the federal mandates.
The proposition will be open to public consultation for 45 days starting yesterday, says Quebec’s environment minister.
Source: Automotive News Canada
