Here's which electric vehicles qualify in BC for a rebate

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Some British Columbians who recently bought an electric vehicle from Tesla were informed by their car dealership that the province ran out of funds for the “Clean Energy Vehicle (CEV) Rebate.”

One man shared a screenshot of this message he received from a dealership before he was scheduled to pick up his new vehicle this month.

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In the email, it added, “Though we anticipate they [BC] will top up the funds, the current timeline they have provided is next week.”

“As a result, you have two options: take delivery as is, and forgo the current BC rebate, or postpone the delivery until the government notifies us they have updated the program,” the email continues.

Submitted photo

“Tesla honoured to pay 4k in rebates, but if government funds don’t top up, I will have to pay it back to Tesla,” the new Tesla owner said.

Another local, Jasreet Ghuman, said he received a message from his dealership saying Tesla and licensed dealers in BC were advised by the New Car Dealers Association “available funds reached below $1 million. As a result, there is no guarantee of reimbursement (for incentives given to customers).”

“For this reason, Tesla paused deliveries pending additional information,” a text to Ghuman reads.

Courtesy Jasreet Ghuman

However, in an email to Daily Hive Urbanized, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation said, “The CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate Program has NOT run out of funds, and we plan to deliver rebates to BC zero-emission vehicles customers for the entire year, as planned.”

According to the province, Tesla appeared to have notified its customers and salespeople before checking in with the Ministry.

The province added that Ministry staff had contacted Tesla to clarify there are still funds available through the CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate Program.

“We plan to deliver rebates to BC zero-emission vehicles customers for the entire year, as planned,” the province added.

The province allocated $84 million in the Provincial Budget 2022 to continue the CleanBC Go Electric Program, so owning an electric-powered vehicle and installing charging stations more affordable.

“Provincial Budget 2022 also committed to transition the CleanBC Go Electric Passenger Vehicle Rebate program’s funding source to BC Hydro revenues generated from the sale of Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits. That transition is underway,” the province added.

“As we work on that transition, Tesla’s high volume of rebate applications in a short amount of time has rapidly decreased the prior funding in the program and triggered the system to flag that there is no guarantee of reimbursement.”

In BC, drivers can take advantage of the provincial and federal rebates available when purchasing an electric vehicle.

Through the province, you can receive a rebate for up to $4,000, but it does depend on your income and the type of vehicle.

goelectricbc.gov.bc.ca

“You need to be pre-approved for a rebate before buying your EV. If your application is approved, you have a year to use your rebate,” the province explains on its site. “After a year, your approval for a rebate expires, and you need to re-apply.”

Electric vehicle owners can only receive a rebate once through the rebate program.

Find a list of the vehicles eligible for a rebate here.

You can also receive up to $5,000 through the Federal iZEV rebate when purchasing a new vehicle.

Find which vehicles are eligible through the federal program here.

There are three Tesla models that are eligible for both rebates.

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