Locally funded rebates for electric vehicles (EVs) are once again available in the NWT. Earlier this month, the Arctic Energy Alliance re-launched its program to offset the cost of EVs and small Level 2 charging stations.
The Arctic Energy Alliance (AEA) has not been offering electric vehicle rebates since the middle of 2022 because the Government of the Northwest Territories was not able to renew funding for the program at the time. However, late last year, the government announced it had earmarked new funding for the AEA to offer not only rebates on EVs, but also on electric bikes and on-the-land vehicles such as snowmobiles and ATVs.
Rebates for those new vehicles will come in the AEA’s new fiscal year, which begins in April. In the meantime, anyone can get money back on an electric vehicle or a Level 2 charging station for their home as long as they’ve purchased it since April 1, 2022, and they live in a community that uses hydroelectricity. The hydro communities in the NWT are Behchoko, Dettah, Enterprise, Fort Resolution, Fort Smith, Hay River, Kátł’odeeche, Ndilo and Yellowknife.
Applications must be submitted by March 7. The rebates will continue after that, but the AEA is still working out the details of what the program will look like then.
The AEA is offering rebates of $5,000 on new battery-only and plug-in hybrid EVs, as well as 100% of the purchase cost of a Level 2 charging station for a home, up to a maximum of $500. When combined with federal government incentives, this means EV buyers can once again get up to $10,000 off the price of a new electric vehicle.
The price limit for eligible vehicles has also gone up this year. Now, the base-model manufacturer’s suggested retail price must be $60,000 or less, before options and taxes are applied. The previous limit was $55,000.
The funding for the program comes from the Government of the Northwest Territories to support the objectives of the NWT’s 2030 Energy Strategy. It complements the GNWT’s NWT Electric Vehicles Infrastructure Program, which provides funding for charging infrastructure in places such as in public areas, on multi-unit residential buildings and in workplaces.
