Quebec lowers electric vehicle sales targets for second time

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.