The Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec is urging the provincial government to speed up the deployment of charging stations in the most remote regions, while pushing for the abandonment of the announced abolition of electric vehicle subsidies.
The province has been offering incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, in addition to federal incentives, but has announced that it will be curbing those subsidies and eventually removing them altogether. The FCCQ’s comments came as part of the consultations on prohibitions regarding motor vehicles and combustion engines currently being held by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.
“The FCCQ shares the objectives of this draft regulation: Québec must continue its energy transition and the decarbonization of its transportation sector,” said Mathieu Lavigne, Director of Public and Economic Affairs at the FCCQ, in a statement. “However, we fear that the announced abolition of purchase incentives and the insufficient pace of deployment of charging stations by 2035 will not give enough time to adjust to reality.”
In a news release, the FCCQ said 16 per cent of new vehicles sold in Québec were electric last year; by 2027, they said this rate should jump to 45 per cent before increasing to 100% in 2035 — the provincial government’s ultimate goal. The organization sees these steps as achievable, but with stable government support and a concerted effort in deployment of more public charging stations.
“In more remote regions, the current number of terminals is simply not enough,” said Lavigne. “For all practical purposes, the distance between two points is still often too great to justify a transition to electric vehicles, which will require a greater effort from the government to increase the population’s confidence in the accessibility and reliability of the service.”
