Quebec will ban gas engines in cars starting in 2035 – or sooner?
Quebec, Canada’s second-largest province, passed a bill this week banning the sale of gasoline-powered light-duty vehicle starting in the 2035 model year – a timeline in line with the rest of the country’s ban, but the specifics of Quebec’s are even stronger.
In 2022, Canada unveiled a new emissions reduction plan with a mandate requiring scaling EV sales through 2035, at which point all new cars sold must be zero-emission vehicles.
That rule includes an exemption to allow the sale of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which still have an internal combustion engine, as long as the PHEV meets minimum requirements.
But Quebec decided to do one better, and passed a new bill this week which goes even further. It still has a 2035 target, but it also bans the sale of hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
Quebec is currently leading the rest of the Canada in new EV registrations, making up roughly half of the entire country’s EV sales despite only being a fifth of the country’s population. EVs hold about a 33% market share of new vehicle sales in the province, which is even more than California’s EV market share (Quebec and California share similar environmental philosophies – and even have a cross-border carbon cap-and-trade market).
Part of Quebec’s EV success is due to heavy government incentives through the Roulez vert (“green wheels”) program, though the government recently announced a temporary suspension of that program, and incentives will be cut in 2025 and eliminated in 2027.
It also competes for the cleanest electricity in Canada, with 94% hydropower and 5% wind power (Manitoba and Prince Edward Island also have ~99% renewable electricity grids).
So it’s a great place for an EV – and Quebec’s new bill recognizes that and turns it into law.
The specifics are that, as of Jan 31, 2034, Quebec will disallow the advertisement or sale of any model year 2035 light-duty vehicle with a combustion engine.
The ban also applies to used vehicles past model year 2035, thus disallowing import of cars from other provinces that might have more lax requirements than Quebec’s. This used car requirement not only protects Quebec’s law from the possibility of more lax laws in other provinces, but also from potential meddling by Canada’s federal government.
While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s long-running Liberal government has made climate change a priority, a potential future conservative government (which seems likely to come in the next year) might work to sabotage those efforts at improving the environment. If that does happen, Quebec’s provincial law would still apply.
Then later, on Dec 31, 2025, the sale or lease of new vehicles of model year 2034 or earlier would be banned. This later timeline will help allow dealerships to clear out inventory of older model vehicles.
It even applies to combustion engines themselves – you won’t even be able to sell the engines, unless it’s to replace an engine in a vehicle that’s already on the road.
The new law only applies to light-duty vehicles, not to medium/heavy duty vehicles or off-road vehicles like ATVs and snowmobiles (which are often run on two-stroke engines and are extremely noisy and high-polluting).
Quebec’s left-wing party, Quebec Solidaire, had requested that the timeline be set to 2030, rather than 2035 (something we’ve called for before, asking “why not sooner?” about California and Europe’s 2035 target). But the government was worried that not enough EVs would be available to supply Quebec’s market by that time.
However, there will be a chance to adjust this timeline. The bill directs the provincial government to analyze the market in 2026 and 2030, and potentially adjust the timeline for 2035 compliance. It’s possible that, if Quebec is way ahead of schedule, a 2035 timeline could be moved forward (after all, Norway came within shouting distance of its goal 3 years early). Maybe this is wishful thinking from this EV publication, but we’ll have our fingers crossed at least.
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The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Cumberland Forest Limited Partnership are turning former Appalachian coal mines into clean energy hubs. They just announced new agreements with Sun Tribe Development and ENGIE to build 14 solar farms and three battery storage systems across 360 acres in Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
This marks the second round of clean energy projects launched under TNC’s Cumberland Forest Project.
These projects aren’t just about clean energy – they’re about proving that clean energy can be developed on former Appalachian coal mines in a way that benefits the environment and local communities. The solar and storage hubs are expected to bring in more local tax revenue, create short-term construction jobs, and establish a community fund to support additional local initiatives.
Brad Kreps, TNC Clinch Valley director, said, “Developing projects on former coal mines – and in a way that engages with people in the local area so that communities can benefit – takes ingenuity, skill, and determination. Ultimately, we selected Sun Tribe and ENGIE, two experienced developers that have a great interest in bringing this vision to life.”
Once online, these projects will generate around 49 megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 320 MW of battery storage – enough to power 6,638 Appalachian homes annually.
Sun Tribe’s projects will be in Virginia and Tennessee. It’s planning one 5 MW solar project and three utility-scale battery storage systems ranging from 80 MW to 150 MW. These storage projects will improve grid reliability and help cut costs for utility customers by reducing the need for future grid upgrades.
“Locating solar and battery storage on former mine lands makes perfect sense to us,” said Danny Van Clief, CEO of Sun Tribe Development. “These sites and the communities they rest within have powered our country for more than a century – all we have to do is reimagine them for today’s energy technology.”
ENGIE, meanwhile, is developing 13 community-scale solar projects across Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky that will take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act incentives to help keep costs down. They’ll range in size from 1 MW to 6 MW, bringing clean energy access to more local communities.
“ENGIE is thrilled to collaborate on the development of these projects with The Nature Conservancy,” says Kristen Fornes, ENGIE head of distributed solar and storage. “These initiatives not only contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions but also generate employment opportunities, rejuvenate local communities, and enhance access to clean energy in areas where it is most needed.”
This latest announcement builds on previous first-round work by TNC, Sun Tribe, and Dominion Energy to bring renewable energy to Appalachia. Since 2021, Sun Tribe and Dominion Energy have been working on plans to generate 140 MW of renewable energy across eight sites in the Cumberland Forest. The first project, Wildcats Solar, is a 10 MW array planned for Wise County, Virginia. Expected to start construction by 2026, it’s projected to generate $800,000 in tax revenue for the community over its lifetime. Additional projects from the first round are set to be online by 2029.
Read more: Renewables provided 90% of new US capacity in 2024 – FERC
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The US State Department’s procurement forecast for the 2025 budget includes an item called “Armored Teslas” worth $400 million.
But worry not; it was approved under the Biden Administration, so Elon Musk’s DOGE will undoubtedly eliminate this waste. Right?
Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are currently examining a large amount of US government spending.
It’s unclear if he got to the US State Department’s procurement forecast because there are a few interesting lines that would give auditors second thoughts.
The most interesting one is “Armored Tesla (Production Units)”, which is worth $400 million. Strangely, the item is listed under the NAICS code “311999 – All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing.”
The program has a target for delivery in Q4 through the next 5 years.
There are several other similar and strange budgeted items that are linked to the wrong categories:
You have “ARMORED SEDAN” under “Soft Drink Manufacturing,” “ARMORED BMW X5/X7” under “Bottled Water Manufacturing,” and finally, ARMORED EV (NOT SEDAN) under “Ice Manufacturing.”
However, all these other armored vehicle-related items are budgeted at a fraction of the $400 million for Tesla vehicles ($50 million, $40 million, and $40 million, respectively).
The State Department procurement forecast website mentions that the list was last updated in December – before Trump entered office.
Electrek has contacted the State Department for a comment, and we will update you if we get an answer.
Tesla has claimed that its Cybertruck is “armored” and “bulletproof”, but its armored capacity is quite limited. It can likely deflect low-velocity bullets if they hit the doors, but that’s about it.
Other companies have been planning to modify the Cybertruck with higher levels of armor, like the partnership between Unplugged Performance and Archimedes Defense – pictured above.
Electrek’s Take
I am not against armored electric vehicles. If you need armored vehicles, you might as well make them electric.
However, this is certainly weird. Why does the State Department need $530 million worth of armored vehicles? And why is it listed under a bunch of unrelated categories that don’t make sense?
Sounds like a job for DOGE? However, Elon will need to recuse himself from that one, I guess.
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