British Columbia has announced that Tesla’s products—including its Powerwall home battery, inverters, and electric vehicle (EV) chargers—will no longer be eligible for rebates under the CleanBC and BC Hydro programs. The province claims this move is part of an effort to support Canadian-made products and reduce reliance on American imports.
However, the revised list of eligible products still includes American-made brands, raising questions about the policy’s consistency and the true motivation behind Tesla’s exclusion.
According to an update posted to the BC Hydro website, the exclusion of Tesla is meant to “preference Canadian goods” and “exclude, where practicable, U.S.-produced goods.” But a quick look at the updated list of eligible products reveals that almost all of the alternatives that remain eligible for rebates are U.S.-based.
In fact, of the companies still listed as eligible, only four are Canadian (FLO, Grizzl-E, Hypercharge, Sun Country Highway), while a whopping 73, or 94.8% of the companies on the list, are from the U.S., according to a review by Grok.
“The Government of B.C. and BC Hydro are taking action to preference Canadian goods in our rebate programs going forward and to exclude, where practicable, U.S. produced goods. As of March 12, 2025, Tesla products (electric vehicle chargers, energy storage batteries and inverters) are not eligible for CleanBC and BC Hydro rebates.”
We have reached out to BC Hydro for clarification on why Tesla appears to be the only U.S. company excluded under these new rules, but have not received a reply by the time of publication. We will update this article when we receive a reply.
What If I Already Purchased a Tesla Product?
Under the program, British Columbians can receive rebates covering up to 50% of the cost of a Level 2 EV charger, like a Tesla Wall Connector (until this change), up to a maximum of $350. Homeowners installing energy storage solutions, like the Tesla Powerwall (until this change), have also benefited from financial incentives to offset the cost of backup power. However, as of March 12, 2025, Tesla products will no longer be eligible for these rebates.
For those who already purchased a Tesla Wall Connector or Powerwall or received pre-approval before March 12, rebates will still be processed.
This move is part of a broader pattern of Tesla being unfairly targeted in Canada. In recent months there have been calls for the government to impose 100% tariffs on Tesla vehicles sold in Canada, with some even going so far as to say there should be an all-out ban on Tesla. In Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow excluded Tesla from the taxi grant programToronto Drops Tesla from Taxi Grant Program as Deputy Mayor Calls to Shut Down Tesla Yorkdale, specifically targeting the brand by saying, “People can still continue to buy electric vehicles, just not Tesla. I see no reason why the city should subsidize the purchase of Tesla.”
