The zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standard
For information
TO REGISTER VEHICLES
Notice to automakers
You can access the
online report
of the Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) to submit reports concerning:
- vehicles eligible for credits under the ZEV standard;
- the detailed statement of sales of eligible vehicles;
- the summary statement of total sales.
It should be noted that you must possess a user name and a password to access the MELCC online service. The same codes are used on the platform of the Online GHG Report Submission Feature.
Should you experience difficulties when using the service, please contact the MELCC General Information.
The ZEV standard in a nutshell
To download the
explanatory leaflet (
PDF, 3 MB)
Objective of the standard
The standard seeks to spur the supply of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and low-emission vehicles (LEVs) to afford Québec consumers access to greater numbers and a broader range of plug-in motor vehicles, which are the cleanest and the most technically advanced on the market.
Businesses targeted
Automakers that sell or lease more than 4 500 new vehicles on average per year (all light models) are subject to the ZEV standard. Big automakers that sell or lease more than 20 000 new vehicles on average per year are, starting in the 2020 model year, subject to requirements linked specifically to the sale of ZEVs.
Note: Automobile dealerships are not subject to the requirements of ZEV legislation and regulations. The ZEV standard enables automobile dealerships to respond to consumer demand for greater numbers of low-carbon models at increasingly affordable prices. To reach their targets, automakers must ensure that ZEVs are attractive and available where there is demand for them.
Operation
The ZEV standard came into force on January 11, 2018. The automakers subject to it must now accumulate credits by obtaining zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) or low-emission vehicles (LEVs) on the Québec market. The credit target is calculated by applying a percentage to the total number of light-duty vehicles that each automaker sells in Québec. The credit requirement thus varies from one automaker to the next. Each sale or lease of a ZEV recognized by the Minister earns credits, the number of which varies according to the vehicle’s electric range. The greater the range, the greater the number of credits that the automaker earns, which consequently reduces the number of ZEVs that it must sell to meet its credit target. The purpose of the ZEV standard is thus to spur the automobile market to develop greater numbers of models that rely on increasingly efficient low-carbon technologies.
Moreover, the credits accumulated in the first compliance period can be used to ensure compliance in the current and future compliance periods. However, it should be noted that the government is empowered to oversee the use of the credits carried over to ensure that it attains its objectives. Accordingly, automakers are entitled to use during the 2019-2021 compliance period the credits accumulated previously in order to satisfy a maximum of 35% of the requirements of this period. For the period 2022-2024 and subsequent years, they can use the accumulated credits to attain up to 25% of the requisite credits.
Moreover, automakers can already use the credits accumulated in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 without regulatory obligation and use them to ensure compliance in the coming years. However, it should be noted that the government is empowered to oversee the use of the credits carried over to ensure that it attains its objectives. Accordingly, automakers are entitled to use during the 2019-2021 compliance period the credits accumulated previously in order to satisfy a maximum of 35% of the requirements of this period. For the period 2022-2024 and subsequent years, they can use the accumulated credits to attain up to 25% of the requisite credits.
Details of the operation of the ZEV standard, especially the percentage of credits required by category of automaker, the forms to calculate the credits linked to each type of vehicle, requirements pertaining to reconditioned vehicles, the rules governing the use of credits and the information requested when vehicles are registered will be specified in the regulation.
Types of vehicles eligible for credits
Light-duty motor vehicles (passenger vehicles), excluding motorcycles and mopeds, that can travel on public roads:
- fully electric vehicles, including those that run on a hydrogen fuel cell;
- vehicles equipped with a hydrogen-powered combustion engine;
- plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV);
- any other vehicle powered exclusively by another means of propulsion that emits no pollutants or that is powered in conjunction with such a means of propulsion.
New vehicles and, under certain conditions, vehicles that are reconditioned by the manufacturer and registered in Québec for the first time are also eligible.
ZEV legislation and regulations
The National Assembly unanimously adopted the Act to increase the number of zero-emission motor vehicles in Québec in order to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions on October 26, 2016.
Following the example of 10 American states, including California and several northeastern states, Québec has thus assumed the power to adopt the so-called “ZEV standard,” which encourages automakers to broaden their offerings of such vehicles.
In the wake of the adoption of the Act, two draft regulations were published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on July 5, 2017 and Cabinet approved the attendant regulations on December 13, 2017. The ZEV standard is part of an array of initiatives, in particular those stemming from the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy (PGE) and the 2015-2020 Transportation Electrification Action Plan (PAET 2015-2020).
-
Act to increase the number of zero-emission
motor vehicles in Québec in order to reduce
greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions
-
Regulation respecting the application of the Act to increase the number of zero-emission motor vehicles in Québec in order to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions
-
Regulation respecting the limit on the number of credits that may be used by a motor vehicle manufacturer and the confidentiality of some information
Both regulations are currently being revised to spur the automotive industry to improve the supply of electric vehicles in Quebec. A public consultation on the proposed regulatory amendments is being held from June 8 to July 22, 2022. Comments received will be taken into account in the development of the final version of the regulations. These will be submitted to the government for approval according to the parliamentary calendar.
Useful links
-
ZEV Standard - 2018-2020
Implementation Report (May
20, 2021, PDF,
4.3 MB)
- List of new or reconditioned motor vehicles eligible for credits under the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) standard
-
Balance sheet of the credit
register on September 1,
2021 (French,
PDF,
641 KB)
- Previous issues :
2020
(French, PDF,
500 KB)
- Previous issues :
2020
(French,
- Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Standard–Report on the Results of the First Compliance Period
(April 15, 2020 - PDF,
8,2 MB)
-
Regulatory impact analysis of the draft implementing regulation (French,
PDF,
728 KB)
- The ZEV standard in a nutshell -
explanatory leaflet (
PDF, 3 MB)
-
Québec leads the way with its zero-emission vehicle standard - Article
published on The Climate Group
blog
(February 16, 2018)
