Featured Canada announces new federal $5K EV rebate In 2019 budget

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Sarge, Mar 20, 2019.

  1. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    Well, some good news yesterday, that the federal government in Canada has finally stepped up with an announcement in the new budget to allocate a national rebate to promote EV vehicles.... in a nutshell, it will be a $5K rebate on vehicles $45K and under, and this would be in addition to provincial rebates, such as in Quebec and BC.

    New Budget Adds ZEV Incentive for Consumers, Business | autoTRADER.ca

    Official details are to follow (can’t find any government link yet)... and already some criticism on the interweb about the threshold being too low as it cuts out a LOT of vehicles (even a non-base model Leaf or Bolt). Surely it is not a coincidence that the Model 3 starts at $47K.

    It is also not clear (in my opinion) if this also includes PHEVs, and if there are rules around this as well. For example, some stories like the AutoTrader one suggest there is a 15KWh minimum battery size for PHEV as mentioned in some news articles, but it sounds like this only applies to commercial vehicle fleets? I sure hope this is the case, as I don’t think there exists a PHEV on the market that has a >15KWh battery for under $45K? (Only the Volt comes to mind, but that car is now dead...)

    Anyway, should have some more official details soon.

    Hopefully this will help when I eventually buy a Prime. :)
     
    #1 Sarge, Mar 20, 2019
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The Clarity has a 17kWH battery and starts under $45k. Actually even the fully loaded Touring is under $45k.

    The Outlander PHEV has two trim levels under $45k - SE and SE Limited Edition.

    The LEAF ranges from $36k-$42k so it covers all of it BUT if you want the Leaf e-Plus, it starts at $43k and only the base is covered.

    The 15kWh minimum applies to business tax write offs.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Mar 20, 2019
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  3. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    Thanks Tideland, it does seem like the 15kw is different from the $45k, in that it applies to commercial fleets. I just hope the PHEVs are included in the $5k end customer rebate, as I think that is key to getting more plug-capable vehicles on the road to reduce environmental impact, as many people are not yet ready to take the full leap to EV.

    We will find out soon enough.
     
    #3 Sarge, Mar 20, 2019
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Good news, but better would be 10k for a bev, 5k for a phev, and 2.5k for a hybrid
     
    #4 bisco, Mar 20, 2019
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  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I agree. At this point, any electrification is good. Yes we want full EVs but PHEVs and hybrids (to a lesser extent) still allow for battery production and thus help smaller companies like Mazda and Subaru join the fray and lead to more competition. It also allows for a lower price point and just get people into electrified vehicles. The thing is, if people end up saying “I’m waiting for BEVs to become cheaper and longer range”, well guess what they’re buying in the interim? A gasser. Not a hybrid or a PHEV since they want a “cheaper” vehicle to bide them time until BEVs are affordable.

    I’ve lived in both EV friendly and EV indifferent cities and I’ve yet to have a friend buy a hybrid or PHEV despite the fact I’ve been driving Prii since 2004. Only last year did a colleague finally buy a BEV. Why? Because of the “waiting for the next best thing”. The “I’m waiting for hybrids to become cheaper or at parity” now became “I’m waiting for BEVs to become cheaper”. Guess what? They all bought gassers in the meantime.

    So while I’ve mostly stayed out of the conversation to avoid conflict, I’m stating now that they’re their worst enemies. Those that would’ve considered a hybrid (especially now that they’re pretty much the same price or at least the same as an engine upgrade), are holding back and still considering gassers despite the high gas prices because now they’ve been dangled a new carrot (and a new excuse).

    /rant.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Mar 20, 2019
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  6. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    Setting a limit of $45K will probably lead to Tesla repricing in Canada to $44,999 with a reduced battery capacity that you can later pay $2K to get software enabled to the size that is installed in the car.

    Mike
     
    #6 3PriusMike, Mar 20, 2019
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  7. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    Can’t agree more. I have been an Prius/Hybrid/EV evangelist since my Gen 2 in 2006, yet nobody in my circle has followed suit. However most did it for financial reasons, “not seeing the payback” or simply buying used less expensive vehicles.... Regardless of Prius rock solid reliability record. :-/
     
    #7 Sarge, Mar 20, 2019
  8. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    Son got a Hybrid, I then got one, Daughter in law now has one. I'll try to help my wife into one but I bet I'll fail as the "its different" factors of noise and transmissions will put her off.
     
    #8 mikefocke, Mar 20, 2019
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  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Sure. Because the alternative vehicle had a payback period. Though I can u dérayant that the earlier iterations of the Prius did require some sacrifice, so I’ll give them that.

    I have heard (if you drive less than 50,000km a year, it’s not worth it). Really? Sigh.

    Or “it needs to last 10 years”. Then my 2005 lasted 11.5 years. “It needs to last 15 years”. No. You can’t just move the goal post.
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Mar 20, 2019
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  10. Prashanta

    Prashanta Active Member

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    Looks like they're proposing to subsidize only PHEVs with >15 kwh battery. That seems like a arbitrarily large number to me. Lots of people could reduce their oil consumption by 90% with a 10 kwh battery.
     
    #10 Prashanta, Mar 27, 2019
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  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    That'll also knock out the Outlander PHEV, which is selling well in Canada apparently. (It IS the only non-luxury SUV with AWD and a plug).

    It'll pretty much cover the Clarity and maybe the 2020 X5 XDrive45e. Every other PHEV is below 15kWh, right? (Volt notwithstanding since it's on its way out)
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Mar 27, 2019
  12. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Tesla already published (can't remember where i read) that the 3 is not set up w/ software limited versions. Though that's not to say it can't be some time in the future.
    .
     
    #12 hill, Mar 27, 2019
  13. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    Yes, it is a very high threshold. Also, based on information available so far, it looks like incentives for PHEV will only be available to businesses, residents will only have the EV incentive.

    Hopefully this is tweaked to be more inclusive before it is launched. I think including PHEV for residents in this program is key in order to move the needle on adoption of plug-enabled vehicles.
     
    #13 Sarge, Mar 27, 2019
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  14. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    #14 Sarge, Apr 17, 2019
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  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    That's a much longer list and gives much needed clarity.
     
    #15 Tideland Prius, Apr 17, 2019
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