Ban on gasoline vehicles | Quebec to assess “market maturity” around 2030

Quebec plans to conduct an “assessment of the maturity of the automobile market” around 2030, in order to make possible adjustments to its draft regulation on the ban on the sale of gasoline vehicles from 2035, which was officially filed this Wednesday.

This was indicated by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks in a press release, confirming the filing of the draft regulation. It specifies that “it is planned that an assessment of the market maturity will be carried out by the government around 2030, in order to allow for possible adjustments, to ensure a successful transition in 2035.”

As early as November 2020, Environment Minister Benoit Charette confirmed that the sale of new gasoline vehicles would be banned in Quebec as of 2035. He then spoke of a “major move” to force the shift toward electric cars and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The following year, he argued, in response to questions from Québec solidaire, which was demanding that the project be brought forward, that if the province banned the sale of new gasoline vehicles in 2030 rather than 2035, it would risk a shortage in its market. In other words, there would still not be enough new electric cars to supply the Quebec market.

The Legault government has already stated the objective of having two million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030. As of March 2024, there were 270,000 light electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles in Quebec, a jump of 59% compared to 2023 at the same time.

In consultation first

The law will apply to all new light combustion vehicles from the 2034 model year and earlier. These “may no longer be sold or leased in Quebec as of 1^er January 2035,” reiterates Quebec.

The government specifies in passing that “for vehicles of the 2035 model year and later, it will be prohibited to sell or rent them in Quebec, whether they are new or used.” “These prohibitions would apply to all players in the industry, including physical or online merchants, as well as to citizens,” it maintains.

Quebec says it will continue to invest in “charging infrastructure and workforce training for electric vehicle maintenance” through its Quebec Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, which has a budget of $514 million over five years, between 2023 and 2028.

As for the future, the draft regulation filed Wednesday will have to undergo a 45-day “public consultation” period. Citizens can submit their comments in writing to the Ministry of the Environment until August 25. A final form of the regulation will then be published by the end of 2024.

In a press scrum as he left the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, Mr. Charette indicated that the intention to ban gasoline vehicles as of 2035 “is already in the law,” but “we must now adopt our regulations.” “There will be a consultation, then modifications if necessary and ultimately, an enactment. But it is already adopted and effective for 2035,” he certified.

With Gabriel Béland and Tommy Chouinard, The Press