Dealerships on hook for unpaid EV rebates have a month to get their claims in

Car dealerships who were on the hook for thousands of dollars in electric vehicle rebates will have a month to make a claim to get their money back.

Transport Canada laid out the details in a call today with dealerships, indicating any vehicle which was delivered before the program paused on Jan. 12 will be eligible for reimbursement.

The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association welcomed the news, and estimates its members are owed about $11 million for rebates they had already delivered to customers but which were not claimed with the government before the federal government said the rebate program had run out of money.

Dealerships will only be allowed to file a maximum of 25 claims per day, which the association said will more than cover the shortfall.

The Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program ran out of funding in January after Ottawa spent nearly $3 billion on it during its five-year lifespan.

The program provided up to $5,000 toward the purchase of a new zero-emissions vehicle.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick