Electric Vehicle Incentives

• Any bus or minibus permit holder offering services in Quebec, other than experimental and student transportation permit holders;
• Private companies providing a shuttle service such as hotel shuttles, free employee shuttles, etc;
• Private companies using an eligible light-duty vehicle to provide passenger transportation services for commercial activities.

Any eligible transportation organization must meet the following conditions:

• Have its head office or an establishment in Quebec;
• Be registered with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec;
• Not be registered with the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA);
• Be solvent and not be in bankruptcy within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (R.S.C., chapter B-3);
• Be the owner or leaseholder of the vehicle for which financial assistance is requested for a minimum period of four years.

• Electric Bus Purchase: The Ecobus program provides a grant of $100,000 for the acquisition of a fully electric or fuel cell bus or minibus. Technologies that have been identified as eligible for the Ecobus Incentive program as a result of the certification process are listed here. Crestline Buses is the approved vendor in Canada for the following approved bus models: 

• • ARBOC Equess CHARGE

• EV Conversion: The financial subsidy granted corresponds to 50% of the expenses for the acquisition and installation of the technology allowing the conversion of the vehicle to a maximum of 75 000 $. 

Learn more here.

Step 1: At the time the order is placed to purchase the vehicle, the applicant applies for financial assistance to the Minister, along with the required documents (the application form can be found here),

• The quote for the acquisition of the vehicle, accepted and signed;
• A Heavy Vehicle Owner/Operator Record (HVOR), issued within 10 business days prior to ordering the vehicle emitted by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ)

After assessing the eligibility of the application, the Minister will advise the applicant, and the manufacturer or distributor in the case of a purchase rebate, of the budget availability under the program.

Step 2: In the case of a purchase rebate, the applicant has a maximum of 20 working days prior to the transaction to provide the Minister with the following documents:

• The Application for Assignment of Financial Assistance form duly completed and signed;
• A certificate from Revenu Québec confirming that the applicant does not have an outstanding account with the Minister of Revenue of Quebec under Quebec tax laws or, if the applicant has an outstanding account, that the applicant has entered into a payment agreement and is in compliance with the agreement, or that the collection of the applicant’s debt has been legally suspended. This certificate must have been issued within 30 business days prior to the vehicle transaction.

The applicant will be notified of their eligibility. This information will be communicated to the manufacturer or distributor, as applicable.

Step 3: The manufacturer or distributor will have a maximum of 12 months from the date of the application for financial assistance to complete the purchase transaction and submit the following supporting documentation:

• A complete copy of the signed purchase or lease contract indicating the lease period and allowing the determination of the additional cost for the particular option;
• A copy of the manufacturer’s description of the new vehicle;
• A copy of the Dealer Transaction Attestation (DTA) issued by the manufacturer or distributor, if applicable;
• A copy of the itemized invoice;
  In the case of a purchase rebate, the amount of financial assistance is subtracted from the total invoice including all applicable fees and taxes;
• Proof of payment;
• A copy of the vehicle registration certificate duly signed or a copy of the temporary registration provided by the SAAQ.

The applicant is required to submit these same documents if he/she does not take advantage of the purchase discount at the time of the transaction.

In the case of the conversion of a vehicle to an electric vehicle, the applicant must contact the SAAQ in order to modify the registration certificate to include the mention “electric vehicle”. The SAAQ will then issue a green plate.

Need help completing your application? Contact us.