Earlier this year, Canadian officials in Ottawa were surprised by Tesla’s last-minute sales charge, which saw thousands of electric vehicle rebate claims filed in the last three days of the province’s incentive program. That surprise quickly turned into suspicion, as the country’s new Transport Minister, Chrystia Freeland, said Canada would pause incentive payouts while it investigated “each claim.”
The Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program ended in January, with Tesla filing 8,669 rebate claims in the last three days of its operation, totaling more than $43 million. Those last-minute claims zapped the program’s remaining funding, leaving some dealers to cover unpaid rebates.
The program was initially planned to run through March 31, but Tesla’s run between January 10 and 12 caused the government to shutter the program on January 12. Freeland ordered the payments to be paused when she took office in late March, saying, “No payments will be made until we are confident that the claims are valid.” While the government hasn’t made any specific allegations of wrongdoing, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association has voiced its concerns, asking how much the automaker knew about the issue and when.
Canadian lawmakers could vote to fund the program again, as upcoming elections may shift the political landscape. However, even if the program returns, Tesla will not be involved. Freeland said the automaker would be excluded from future incentives “so long as the illegitimate and illegal U.S. tariffs are imposed against Canada.”
[Images: Tesla]
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