Small town, big leader
A small region in Québec claims the title of the country’s EV capital. The rural cottage country region to the Northeast of Montreal is home to the highest electric vehicle sales in Canada.
In 2016, nearly half of all 11,060 electric vehicles in Canada were sold in Québec, with the scenic region of Lanaudière leading the charge.
Image courtesy of ecocuisinedesign.com
Almost half of all EVs sold in the region were from one dealership, Bourgeois Chevrolet, in the small town of Rawdon1 . Out of the approximately 400 EVs sold by Bourgeois Chevrolet, the top seller was the Chevrolet Volt. Across Canada, the top 3 leading EVs sold in 2016 included2 :
| EV Model | Total vehicles sold in 2016 (Canada) |
| Chevrolet Volt | 3,508 |
| Nissan LEAF | 1,572 |
| Tesla Model S | 1,466 |
The eco-conscious, energy savvy, local population along with the lower electricity rates and provincial rebates, make Québec an EV lovers dream.
Provinces compete
However, as it stands now, the neighbouring province of Ontario is competing for the crown with increasing incentives and targets. This comparison table looks compares Canada’s two biggest provinces:
| Quebec | Ontario | |
| Total EV sales (2016) | 5,005 | 3,412 |
| Rebate(s) for vehicles | Up to $8,000 | Up to $14,000 |
| Rebate(s) for chargers | Up to $600 | Up to $1000 |
| Declared EV target by 2020 | 5% of all passenger vehicle sales | 100,000 total plug-ins |
| Average electricity rate | 7.2 cents per kw/h (Montreal) | 17.8 cents per kw/h (Toronto) |
Canada’s numbers
According to FleetCarma statistics3 , seven of the highest selling EVs, including both battery-only EVs and plug-in Hybrid EVs, have over 1,000 units in Canada, including:
| EV Model | Vehicles sold in Canada (Up to Dec 31 2016) |
| Chevrolet Volt | 9,279 |
| Nissan LEAF | 5,100 |
| Tesla Model S | 5,056 |
| Smart Fortwo | 1,114 |
| Ford C-MAX Energi | 1,103 |
| Kia Soul EV | 1,065 |
| Tesla Model X | 1,032 |
If a small region like Lanaudière can bridge smart transportation with environmental and economic sensibility, just imagine what your community can do.
As the uptake of EVs continues driving around Canada, stay tuned to The Electric Blog for all the latest information.