After three years of waiting and no provincial incentives for New Brunswickers looking to purchase electric vehicles, the Conservation Council’s Executive Director, Lois Corbett says the provincial government has no excuse for failing to meet its target of adding 2,500 electric vehicles (EVs) on New Brunswick roads by 2020.
“The government has really dropped the ball on electric vehicles. The time for lame excuses is over,” Corbett said in a statement sent to Global News on Feb. 7. “Our charging station infrastructure is ready, and our citizens want to take advantage of the federal government’s incentives, but the lack of action from the provincial government is holding us all back.”
“It is plain sad that most New Brunswickers who want to buy an electric vehicle have to turn to Quebec or car dealers in other provinces instead of buying from their local dealership. That’s because our government is not doing what governments that are serious about climate change and protecting their citizens’ health have done: introduce smart incentives that make it easier for citizens to purchase their first electric vehicle and encourage dealerships to bring them onto the lot.”
Roughly 118 recommendations were made in New Brunswick’s 2016 climate action plan, which included increasing the number of EV charging stations in the province, shifting the government’s fleet of vehicles to electric, and creating new incentives for New Brunswickers looking to purchase EVs.
Currently there are no provincial subsidies or rebates for electric vehicles. The only incentive available at this time is a $5,000 rebate being offered by the federal government for the first-time purchase of a non-emitting vehicle.
Recommended links
- Tesla and the drive-through province: electric vehicle owners say technology well within reach
- Conservation Council welcomes $1B investment in energy efficiency, long-awaited incentives for electric vehicles, and support for coal workers in N.B.
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