Toronto, Ontario — A spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford has stated that the government will “continue to put forward sensible solutions” that encourage Ontarians to purchase EVs, prompting speculation that the Ford government has no intention of bringing back Ontario’s EV incentive, which previously awarded Ontarian drivers who made the switch to EVs up to $14,000 in incentives.
“We will continue to put forward sensible solutions that encourage all Ontarians to take meaningful action to protect and preserve our environment while making sure that taxpayers’ money isn’t being used to help those who don’t need it,” the spokesperson stated.
Up until September 2018, Ontarians received the largest EV incentive in the country, offering up to $14,000 to buyers who went electric with their vehicle purchase. Ford ended the program three months after becoming the new premier of Ontario, and since the ending of the program, EV sales have dropped 55 percent.
Federally, 287 million has been added to pay for EV incentives for 2021-2022 as the three-year $300 million funds set up in 2019 was almost gone. The Trudeau government hopes EVs will make up 10 percent of sales by 2025, however, reports suggest EV sales are currently on track to hit less than six percent.
Ford’s government has allotted $285 million to Ford Motors as part of the $1.8 billion plan to make the Oakville plant into a facility that will begin to build EVs by 2026.
