A handful of Quebec cabinet ministers gathered in Montreal on Monday to announce a $4.4 million investment into the electric car industry.
The money will be spent over the next five years promoting all aspects of the industry, including research and development, design and manufacturing.
The province is hoping to get as many as 100,000 electric cars on the roads by 2020.
Of the 100,000 electric vehicles already sold in Canada, half of them have been in Quebec.
Environment minister David Huertel says Quebecers were quick to warm up to electric-car technology in part because of the abundance of hydro-electric power in the province.
“Quebecers are very familiar with electricity,” he said. “We are a hydro-electric superpower in the world. We’re the fourth largest producer in the world. I think Quebecers understand it doesn’t just make sense from an environmental standpoint to go electric but it makes sense economically. I’d rather spend $400 or $500 per year on electricity to charge my car and that money stays in Quebec rather than spend a few thousand dollars on gas and that money leaves Quebec.”
By next year, the Couillard Liberals also intend to introduce a law forcing car companies in Quebec to make, produce, and sell more electric cars.