Feds offer new rebates to get you into an electric car
Posted May 1, 2019 6:57 am.
Last Updated May 1, 2019 8:55 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you’re in the market for an electric car, some new rebates take effect today.
The federal government is offering some sizeable kickbacks. The rebates — which were announced in the federal budget — offer up to $5,000 off new fully electric vehicles, and $2,500 dollars off plug-in hybrids.
RELATED: Mitigating impact of zero-emission cars is key to encourage transition
Ottawa is raising the price limit to qualify to $55,000 to increase the options a buyer can choose and still receive the rebate.
That figure would have excluded Tesla — that is, until the automaker decided to lower the price of its Model 3 to fall within the rebate qualification price.
Nine electric cars and 13 plug-in hybrids are eligible, including the second- and third-most popular electric cars, the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Bolt.
RELATED: B.C. climate action plan focuses on cleaner cars, buildings, industry
These incentives are part of Ottawa’s strategy to meet its international targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to halt climate change.
Road transportation accounts for as much as one-fifth of Canada’s emissions. Electric-car experts say there is no doubt government incentives help drive electric-car purchases — noting when the new Conservative government in Ontario killed a rebate last year, electric-car sales in that province plummeted.
B.C. also offers its own incentives for electric and hybrid cars with an MSRP of under $77,000.
