Tesla products are now excluded from P.E.I.'s electric vehicle rebate program

Gwyneth Egan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 7:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Teslas are nary longer eligible for electrical conveyance rebates connected Prince Edward Island, the provincial authorities says.

The state acted instantly erstwhile the P.E.I. Automobile Dealers Association requested that Teslas beryllium dropped from the rebate program, said Gilles Arsenault, curate of environment, vigor and clime action.

There are nary Tesla dealerships connected P.E.I., and a quality merchandise astir the determination urged Islanders "to see purchasing from a dealership with a section presence."

But successful an interrogation with CBC News connected Tuesday, Arsenault also cited the ongoing commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the United States, wherever Tesla is headquartered. 

"If you're looking astatine Elon Musk, who's the proprietor and relation of Tesla, he's straight progressive with the decision-making process successful the U.S. with the tariffs," helium said. "As a country, we can't basal for that, and we won't."

Provinces specified arsenic Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Columbia person besides opted to deed the brakes connected Tesla electrical vehicle rebates. Protests astatine Tesla dealerships and vandalism of Tesla vehicles has been reported crossed the country.

The alteration to rebates connected P.E.I. applies to each purchases arsenic of March 25, 2025. Any Teslas purchased earlier March 25 volition inactive beryllium eligible for the rebate. 

For electrical vehicles, the P.E.I. rebate amounts to $5,750. For plug-in hybrid electrical vehicles, the rebate is $3,250.

'Not acceptable'

The rationale down cancelling the rebate for Tesla vehicles is partially economic and partially political, Arsenault said. 

"Tesla's relation with the U.S. medication and their tariffs is causing issues and we privation to bash our part," helium said. "We besides privation to enactment successful solidarity with different provinces." 

The curate said removing the rebate inducement was 1 mode his section could instrumentality enactment — truthful it did. 

"We privation to marque definite that we basal together, we basal powerfully together, and we enactment each different present successful Canada," helium said. "The mode that we've been treated by our friends to the southbound of the borderline is not acceptable."