THE Doer government is looking at expanding a program that pays climate-conscious new car buyers to purchase a fuel-efficient vehicle.
Science, Technology and Energy Minister Jim Rondeau said the province wants to include more vehicles under the rebate program, which currently pays $2,000 to people who buy a hybrid car. Hybrids run on battery power at low speeds and then gasoline at higher speeds. To date 531 rebate cheques have been issued under the two-year program, which ends in November.
Jim Rondeau: ‘amazingly successful’
Rondeau said Monday the province is considering expanding the program to include other environmentally-friendly vehicles, for instance cars than operate on hydrogen fuel cells.
"It has been amazingly successful," Rondeau said of the current program, which was intended to make hybrids more affordable to a wider audience. "I believe there's a huge opportunity by adopting green technology."
Hybrids are more expensive than other cars because of the technology and materials that go into them.
Rondeau made his comments from Toronto, where on Tuesday he visited with officials with the ZENN Motor Company. ZENN (zero emission, no noise) makes an all-electric car that is available in most U.S. states, but not in Canada. The ZENN, already approved for limited use by Transport Canada, is considered a slow-moving vehicle and road laws in each province have to change before it can be driven. British Columbia is the only province where ZENN cars are allowed to be sold and driven.
Rondeau would not say what plans are in the works to allow cars like the less-expensive ZENN in Manitoba, but added it's possible the car could be tested at the cold-weather testing centre in Thompson to see how it performs in a Manitoba winter.
"I'd like to see the car," he said. "I like to open the dialogue with ZENN."
A ZENN spokesperson said low-speed legislation will be on the meeting agenda.
"We'd like to talk about low-speed vehicle legislation in Manitoba and I am sure the minister is looking to talk about future manufacturing opportunities," spokesperson Catherine Scrimgeour said.
The ZENN car has been on the Doer government's radar for a while. At the provincial NDP's convention a month ago, a resolution was put forward to remove any restrictions on the sale of ZENNs in Manitoba.
Shannon Vezey, new car sales manager at McPhillips Toyota, said the province's hybrid incentive program has spurred sales.
"The demand is always there," she said.
She added the cars are usually sold a short time after arriving from the factory. Toyota's Camry and Prius are two of the top three sellers in the province, just ahead of those offered by Honda.
The Harper government also has an incentive program for people to buy energy efficient vehicles, but announced in last week's federal budget it is discontinuing it as of October.
Despite the rebates, hybrids do not account for a large percentage of new vehicle sales in Manitoba. Last year, 20,216 passenger cars were sold in Manitoba, according to figures compiled by the DesRosiers Automotive Consultants and supplied by the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association.
bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca
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