End of the rebate on electric cars: some Quebecers will forget their dream of buying a green car

Quebecers are not digesting the end of the subsidy for the purchase of an electric car, a decision that will even prompt some citizens to give up their dream of buying a green vehicle.

Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon notwithstanding, the impact is not insignificant for citizens who were planning to trade in their gasoline-powered car for a GHG-emission-free vehicle within the next five years.

34% will think twice before buying an electric car, and 20% will choose a less expensive model.

What's more, one in four people have no intention of buying a green vehicle if there are no more subsidies. "A quarter of potential buyers say 'I'll go back to a gas vehicle'," says pollster Christian Bourque.

Only 6% of those interested will bring forward their plans to buy an electric car.

In his sixth budget, Minister Eric Girard announced the end of financial assistance for the purchase of a green car. The $7,000 subsidy for the purchase of a non-polluting vehicle will be drastically cut in half on January 1, before disappearing altogether in 2027.

Many voices have been raised to denounce the end of the "Go Green" program. Car dealers are among them. They fear that the end of the subsidy will slow the growth of electric vehicle sales.

However, the Minister of Energy and the Economy is confident that Quebec will reach the milestone of two million green cars on the road by 2030, with or without the government rebate. Not only is Pierre Fitzgibbon convinced that this decision will have no major impact, but he also believes that the price of electric cars is set to fall.

"I don't think it's going to have a major effect. I think we'll see a reduction in vehicle prices. There's also the federal government, which wasn't there at the time," he said Monday, on the sidelines of Propulsion Québec's electric transportation event in Montreal.