- Quebec is aiming to ban the sale of new ICE vehicles by 2035, the province said mid-December
- The legislation also imposes restrictive new rules for engine swaps
- The mandate was announced nearly in sync with news that Quebec would pause its EV rebate program
Nearly in sync with news that Quebec is pausing its EV new-car-purchase subsidy program, designed to defray the cost of buying a new electric vehicle, that province announced mid-December it would be adopting regulations banning the sale of most new gasoline-powered vehicles as of 2035. Most two-wheeled conveyances are exempt, as are emergency vehicles and short-term rentals, but the new rules adopted December 16 cast a net over all “light-duty” vehicles. This counts cars, crossovers, SUVs, and many pickup trucks.
Starting January 1, 2034, it will be illegal to sell a new or used version of any 2035 model of gas-powered vehicle subject to the rule, even including hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. However, models of cars from 2034 or earlier that are already registered in Quebec by the deadline can remain on the roads and can be resold. Two years after this – which is to say December 31, 2035 – it will be illegal to sell or lease new gas-powered vehicles covered by the regulation from the 2034 model year or earlier. In other words, any gassers left over on dealer lots which haven’t been snapped up will be worthless.
It is worth noting the legislation states the government will carry out an assessment of the maturity of the EV market in the 2026 and 2030 calendar years, reserving the right to make possible adjustments to these new regs.
Also buried in the (translated) legalese seems to be a provision for stiff (maybe six-figure) penalties against people who sell a combustion engine intended to be installed in a new EV, though replacement engines for ICE vehicles are still kosher, so long as they are “of a model year equal to or later than that of the original engine” and do “not consume more fuel than the latter.”
That entire paragraph is worth a deep-dive post of its own, by the way. Does this mean your author could theoretically no longer plunk a Hellcat engine in his Challenger R/T since it would burn more fuel? Would a customizer not be allowed to place a ‘60s mill in their ‘70s hot rod? What about a family looking to save a few bucks by purchasing, say, a 2011 Elantra engine from the scrappers in order to replace the one in their 2013 that went pop?
At the risk of igniting a firestorm in the comments, killing the EV rebate a day after banning the sale of most new gasoline-powered vehicles come 2035 is like a parent forcing their kid to eat a plate of vegetables then reneging on the promise of chocolate ice cream for dessert. Most people accept the gravy train of EV rebates can’t go on forever, nor should they, but the timing of these announcements can certainly be considered difficult.
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