Quebec lowers electric vehicle sales targets for second time

MONTREAL – The Quebec government has once again lowered its target for electric vehicle sales.

It is now aiming to have 80 per cent of new vehicle sales be zero-emission by 2035.

The Coalition Avenir Québec government had already signalled its intention last year to back off from a commitment to end all gas-powered vehicle sales by that year. 

At the time, the party had discussed lowering the EV sales target to 90 per cent by 2035 — but that target was never officially adopted.

Environment Minister Pascale Déry says the new target of 80 per cent continues to encourage electric vehicle sales while also giving a break to automakers who are facing challenges.

The province has also set a new target for 2026, with a goal of having 26 per cent new vehicle sales be electric by the end of the year instead of 32.5 per cent.