Quebec's target for electric vehicles is too low: Equiterre

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The Quebec government is lacking ambition in its shift towards being greener, including having too low a target for electric vehicles, says Équiterre.

The organization made the claim as part of its criticism of Environment Minister Benoit Charette's green proposal.

It is asking that gas-guzzling vehicle owners face harsher financial penalties.

In a brief obtained by The Canadian Press, Équiterre is calling on a ban of gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2030, instead of the current target of 2035.

The organization is also demanding that manufacturers sell more electric vehicles in Quebec by that year.

The government's proposed new zero-emission vehicle standard would require 12.5 per cent of new vehicles sold in 2025 to be electric, up from 9.5 per cent in the fall of 2021, the results of which won't be felt until 2029.

Équiterre says this goal is far from sufficient, considering that Quebec has committed, under international agreements, to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 37.5 per cent.

Moreover, according to the organization, if Quebec does not ask for more electric vehicles, manufacturers will sell them to other markets.

Équiterre is proposing a self-financing "bonus" fee system, where additional fees would be charged to gas vehicle owners to fund rebates to buyers of electric vehicles.

Quebec's low-GHG vehicle targets are so weak that major manufacturers could afford to stop selling electric vehicles between February 2021 and September 2022, concludes the report.

Nevertheless, there has been a recent surge in electric vehicle sales due to the drastic increase in the price of gasoline.

Charette had previously suggested that banning the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles in 2030 rather than 2035 was unrealistic.

According to him, there may not be enough electric vehicles in 2030 to meet the demand of the Quebec market.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 14, 2022.