Used Engines Among Quebec’s Total Ban on Gas Vehicles by 2035

Fuelling up at a gas station in Mississauga, Ont., on Feb. 13, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov)

The government of Quebec is proposing regulations to ban the sale of all gasoline-powered vehicles, as well as the sale of used gas engines, by 2035.

The draft regulation for Bill 50, which was printed in the July 10 edition of La Gazette Officielle du Québec, says the ban would take effect on Jan. 1, 2035.

Specifically mentioned are the sale or lease of “motor vehicles that are not propelled solely by an electric motor,” including vehicles with “a hydrogen fuel cell or another means of propulsion that emits no pollutant.”

Bill 50, which is described as an act “respecting civil protection to promote disaster resilience and to amend various provisions relating in particular to emergency communication centres and to forest fire protection,” estimates that switching to electric vehicles will save consumers $2.1 million per year in energy costs. It will cost businesses in the petroleum sector approximately $434,000 per year in reduced fuel sales.

The regulation is aimed at increasing “the number of zero-emission motor vehicles in Québec in order to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions,” it reads.

After 2035, only electric vehicles will be permitted to be sold in the province, according to the regulation, which will also ban the sale of used gasoline-powered engines. An exemption is provided for replacement engines for vehicles of model year 2034 or earlier.

Anyone wishing to comment on the draft regulation must submit written comments within 45 days of the July 10 publication.

The federal government announced its own regulations in December 2023 to be phased in over 12 years, although unlike Quebec’s plan they don’t include engines—new or old. At that time, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said the government would be pushing for 20 percent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2026, with that number increasing to three-fifths by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035.

Mr. Guilbeault said the move would tackle one of the reasons that Canadians haven’t been switching to EVs, which is a long wait time for a low supply.

Vehicle manufacturers will be entitled to credits issued by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and which they can use, bank, or sell to companies that don’t earn enough credits.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced its regulations on gas vehicles, requiring one-third of new car sales to be electric by 2027, with that number jumping to over two-thirds by 2032.

Europe has also introduced legislation that would also see all petrol and diesel-powered vehicles banned by 2035.

The decision means that manufacturers need to cut 100 percent in carbon emissions by 2035 for new cars sold. It also set a 55 percent reduction in emissions for vehicles sold from 2030.

The Canadian Press, Reuters, and Matthew Horwood contributed to this article.