Federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante were touting electric vehicles as the third annual electric and hybrid vehicle show opened in Montreal.
The trade show is an opportunity for the public to learn about electric cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and more.
Plante said electric vehicles are the future, and the city is looking to spend more money on them -- both for private and public use.
"Our plan is to have more charging stations and to have faster ones, so there can be more cars of course that can be recharged more easily. Same thing with all the buses. we've ordered 300 hybrid buses," said Plante.
"Starting in 2025 all the buses we order wil be fully electric, but that means making sure all the garages for the buses are fully equipped."
Steven Guilbeault, the city of Montreal's point man for environmental causes, said the key is lowering the purchase point of electric cars to ensure widespread adoption.
This week the federal government implemented a new rebate for electric vehicles, cutting up to $5,000 off the price of a car.
Hybrids are eligible for a rebate up to $2,500.
"Helping to reduce the differential between an electric vehicle and a conventional car is an important step at a time when prices are coming down and if we can get this momentum going there will be more supply, and prices will come down, and people will realize and learn that over the lifecycle it is actually more economical to have an electric vehicle and certainly much, much better for the environment," said Garneau.
Electric cars were about 8 percent of all passenger cars sold in Canada in the third quarter of 2018.
