Skip to main content

ZEV standard: automakers to provide more hybrid and EVs, Quebec

The government of Quebec has approved its Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Standard to allow the province to regulate automakers and ensure sustained growth in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road for meeting needs of its citizenry. It is part of a continuum of solutions to improve air quality as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will come into effect in early 2018.
December 22, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
The government of Quebec has approved its Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Standard to allow the province to regulate automakers and ensure sustained growth in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road for meeting needs of its citizenry. It is part of a continuum of solutions to improve air quality as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will come into effect in early 2018.

 
Automakers covered by the standard will earn credits through the sale of ZEV or low-emission vehicles to residents. Credits will be awarded in proportion to efficiency in zero-emission mode. The percentage of mandatory credits will be calculated by the total number of new vehicles sold or leased in the province and manufacturers will start earning credits with model year 2018.
 
Major automakers who sell or lease more than 20,000 vehicles in Quebec 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 will be paid to the Green Fund and used to support climate change projects.
 
These regulations also permit vehicles that have been upgraded by car makers and licensed for the first time in Quebec to qualify for credits. This measure was included to make it possible for low-income households to choose ZEVs.
 
The ZEV standard is consistent with the targets set out in the Transportation Electrification Action Plan 2015–2020 and the 2013–2020 Climate Change Action Plan. It adds to a series of government measures, including a rebate on the purchase price of EVs, funding for charging stations, the development of an extended network of charging stations in all regions of the province and other ZEV benefits such as the free use of toll bridges.

Quebec's government has created a committee to monitor the evolution of the dossier; led by the Corporation des concessionnaires automobile du Québec and the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques. Its representatives will rely on the Coalition zéro émission Québec and Steven Guilbeault, cofounder and senior director of Équiterre.
 
Isabelle Melançon, 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 and/or discouragingly lengthy waiting times. We need to release these limitations on consumer choice, and that is the intent of the ZEV.”

More information about the ZEV standard is available %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here false http://http//www.mddelcc.gouv.qc.ca/changementsclimatiques/vze/index-en.htm false false%>.

Related Content

  • European Commission: tighter rules for safer/cleaner cars
    December 12, 2017
    The European Commission (EC), European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement on the commission proposal from January 2016 to raise the quality level and independence of type-approval and testing before a car is placed on the market. It would enable the EC to be able to initiate EU-wide recalls and impose penalties on manufacturers or technical services of up to €30,000 (£26,000) per non-compliant car.
  • EC promotes ''against lock-in'' approach on ITS standards
    August 2, 2013
    According to the European Commission (EC), open standards for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) would save the public sector €1 billion a year US$1.5 billion a year, citing Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) as one of the standards being developed in the transport domain. Launched in 1997, the UTMC programme was the UK Department for Transport (DfT) main initiative for the development of a more open approach to ITS in urban areas. UTMC systems are designed to allow the different application
  • Lyft updates app to boost two-wheeled travel
    October 2, 2019
    Lyft is tweaking its app in a bid to make it easier for users to switch between different modes of travel - including scooters, bikes, public transit and car rentals. The ride-share firm has added shared bikes and scooters to its app over the past year and says more people are opting for its ‘greenest ride options’. The app displays mobility options in a city and Lyft says it helps users find the safest routes for bikes and scooters. The app will also allow users to compare the time and cost acro
  • TRL launches annual research review
    March 11, 2016
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has launched its annual research review 2014-2015, containing a summary of 18 months of research activity at TRL, along with expert commentary on connected and automated vehicles; electric vehicles; healthy transport; safety and smart infrastructure. It also looks at implications of healthy transport on road networks, infrastructure and planning as the government announces ‘healthy towns’ and provides insight on the future for self-driving cars and their safet