Vehicle types

In the spring of 2021, the gouvernement du Québec announced that more than 100,000 electric vehicles were officially on the province’s roads.

This news shows that electric vehicles are very present in Québec, and above all, that they are here to stay!

Electric vehicles are available from many car manufacturers: how can we make sense of all the available models?

Electric vehicles can be grouped into the following categories:

All-electric vehicles

All-electric vehicles are equipped with an electric motor and a battery that is recharged with grid electricity. They operate without emitting any greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The all-electric vehicles available on the market have a range that meets more than the typical urban travel needs

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Plug-in hybrid vehicles

Plug-in hybrid vehicles are equipped with an electric motor and a gasoline engine that are combined depending on the vehicle's speed and acceleration.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles are different than hybrid vehicles because they have a battery that can store more electricity and be recharged from the electricity grid. This makes it possible for plug-in hybrids to go many kilometres without any gas.

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What about hybrid vehicles?

Although they do not use an external source of electricity, hybrid vehicles remain an energy-efficient choice. They offer improved fuel efficiency and boast lower GHG emissions than a comparable conventional vehicle.

Hybrid vehicles are powered by an internal combustion engine, which uses gas or diesel, and an electric motor that runs on batteries that charge when the vehicle is used (notably with energy recovered from braking). The electric motor adds power to the internal combustion engine when accelerating, climbing, and passing, and the battery makes it possible to switch off the combustion engine when stopping at traffic lights.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles

Fuel cell vehicles, also known as hydrogen-powered vehicles, are equipped with an all-electric engine that uses a hydrogen fuel cell powered by a tank to recharge its electric battery. Very few of these vehicles are on Québec roads.

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Electric motorcycles and scooters

Electric motorcycles are equipped with an all-electric motor powered by a battery that is recharged by connecting it to the electrical grid.

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Electric scooters are equipped with an all-electric motor powered by a battery that is recharged by connecting it to the electrical grid. The maximum speed for a scooter is 70 km/h.

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The ZEV standard

The Zero-emission vehicles standard This link will open in a new window. came into force on January 11, 2018. The automakers subject to it must now accumulate credits by selling zero-emission or low-emission vehicles on the Québec market.