Quebec offers carmakers ‘credits’ for zero-emission cars

The government of Québec has approved measures to encourage the sale of low emission vehicles in the province, as part of a ‘Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Standard’ being brought in by legislators.

The standard, which comes into effect in early 2018, will see carmakers earn ‘credits’ through the sale of zero-emission (ZEV) or low-emission (LEV) vehicles to Québec residents.

The province of Québec contains cities including Montreal (pictured) and Québec City

According to the Québec government, credits will be awarded in proportion to the efficiency of vehicles operating in zero-emission mode, with the percentage of mandatory credits calculated on the total number of new vehicles sold or leased in the region.

Major automakers, selling or leasing more than 20,000 vehicles in Québec annually, will need to earn a specified percentage of credits based exclusively on ZEV models, starting in 2020.

Manufacturers that do not achieve their target will be required to purchase credits from other automakers that have excess credits available, or pay a fee to the government.

Income received as a result of the measures will be paid to a Green Fund and used to support climate change projects, particularly those aimed at greening the vehicle fleet.

Ambition

Isabelle Melançon, Québec’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, said: “The current vehicle offering does not meet growing consumer demand. Many Québécois want to drive clean vehicles but face a dearth of cars on the market or discouragingly lengthy waiting times. We need to release these limitations on consumer choice, and that is the intent of the ZEV standard: More supply and more diversity in available models that meet the specific needs of users.”

André Fortin, Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification, added: “The ZEV standard will help reach government targets in the electrification of transports. Similar to other measures set out in the Transportation Electrification Action Plan 2015—2020, it will help us to shrink our carbon footprint and reduce energy dependence while growing our collective wealth.

“In adopting this measure, we are encouraging automakers to diversify their offering of vehicles that use electricity produced in Québec from renewable sources.”