The promise of cruising to and from work with nothing more than the quiet hum of an electric motor is becoming increasingly attractive to drivers across the country. With no tailpipe emissions and savings at the gas pump, it seems like a no-brainer for the environmentally-conscious driver. In fact, according to a recent survey, 57 per cent of Canadians are in favour of electric vehicles replacing conventional cars over time.
Until recently, there has been a higher price tag attached to the Electrified Vehicle lifestyle. The base price of the Ford Focus Electric, when compared to its similarly-equipped gas-powered counterpart, has a 22 per cent premium, due to the cost of its lithium-ion battery. That’s more than a $5,000 difference, and this can give even the most eco-conscious car enthusiast pause.
Fortunately, there’s more to a vehicle’s cost than just the retail price tag for drivers in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. These provinces have incentives that help reduce—and in some cases, even eliminate—the price gap between electrified and gas vehicles.
We conducted a cost-comparison overview of three electrified Ford vehicles offered in Canada with their gas or hybrid equivalents. Be it the well-designed Focus, the high-tech C-MAX or luxurious Fusion Energi, these Electrified Vehicles are now more appealing than ever. Especially when provincial incentives are combined with recent MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) reduction of nearly $3,500.
So, choose your province and see how much you can save. After you do, visit the dealer locator to find out where to step into the future of driving.
Ontario
Quebec
British Columbia
The average Toronto commuter spends 42 minutes travelling to work; and many make the trip by car. So, it makes sense that the Government of Ontario would want more Electrified Vehicles on the road to help reduce emissions. When compared to other provinces offering incentives for Electrified Vehicles, Ontario is the most generous, offering an incentive of up to $8,500 for the purchase or 36-month lease of an Electrified Vehicle, or up to $5,808 on a hybrid-electric option. You can also get a rebate of up to $1,000 for the purchase and installation of an eligible charging station.
All told, drivers in Ontario can cruise off the lot in an Electrified Vehicle at a lower cost than its gas-powered counterpart.
Quebec takes its carbon footprint seriously. The province emits fewer greenhouse gases per person than any other province in the country, and has an aggressive $3.3-billion plan in place to “minimize the direct and indirect impacts of climate change.” Part of that plan is to provide incentives to get more emissions-free Electrified Vehicles on the road. In fact, the province offers up to $8,000 for the purchase or 48-month lease on battery electric vehicles and $4,000 on plug-in hybrid-Electrified Vehicles, as well as a $1,000 rebate on the purchase and installation of an eligible charging station.
This means that select models, such as the Focus Electric and C-MAX SEL Energi, can end up costing less than their gas- or hybrid-powered counterparts in Quebec. C’est magnifique!
In the Corporate Knights’ recent ranking of the greenest provinces, beautiful British Columbia came out on top, in part for having the “highest density of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations per capita.” Perhaps it comes as no surprise then that the province offers substantial incentives to get more drivers on the road to be emissions-free. The province offers an incentive of up to $5,000 for the purchase or lease of an all-electrified vehicle, or half that for a plug-in hybrid-electric.
All said, B.C.-based drivers can purchase an Electrified Vehicle at prices close to the cost of a similar gas or hybrid model. And, the C-MAX SEL Energi comes in at a lower total cost than its hybrid counterpart.
