Are Green Plates a Must for the $8,500 rebate?

[cSquared]

Our (first) Tesla is to be delivered at the end of July at the Lawrence location in Toronto.

I want to transfer the blue plates (regular plates, not personalized) from the trade-in car onto the new car (sentimental value). Somebody from the Lawrence location insists that we must get green plates in order to get the $ 8,500 rebate from the MTO. We checked with the MTO office in our hometown and were told the green plates are entirely optional. We then checked the MTO website for information about the rebate and there is no mention of mandatory green plates. The website states that the car has to be plated in Ontario and not sold within one year.

Does anybody from Ontario have any recent experience about that?

Truly appreciated,

Christina

 

[Not an Ice]

Hi Christina

The service centre is not correct. I took delivery March and threw some personalized plates i already had on. The $ 8,500 arrived late May. A few weeks later I switched to green plates, which you might want to consider, just for the summer. With the Panam games and expanded hov lanes for july and august. With the green plates you can use the hov with just 1 person, instead of 3 people, So yes you will get your $, but you will be sitting in gridlock knowing it.

 

[mknox]

No, you don't need Green Plates to get the rebate. Having said that, when I traded in my car I expected that Tesla would simply transfer the Blue plates (that I had renewed just days earlier) from my trade-in over to the Tesla. Instead they had it ready with a new set of Blue (not Green) plates when I picked it up. I had to take my old plates with me and go in to the MTO myself and get the money I spent renewing them sent back, minus 1 month.

 

[mrElbe]

I told Tesla very early that I had my own personalized plates. They sent me a form to sign so that they can license my plates at the MTO. On day of delivery I brought my plates and they had the sticker and ownership ready. Smooth process.

 

[laurentb]

I was told the same thing (i.e. rebate is linked to green plates) at the Lawrence service center, when I picked up my new car, back in February. I didn't care too much and didn't press the issue.

-Laurent

 

[Doug_G]

Okay Tesla has clearly "forgotten", because when I picked up my car they ALL came with blue plates. They were out of stock on green plates at MTO. Everyone got the $8500 rebate. My Model S still has blue vanity plates. The rebate has nothing whatsoever to do with green plates.

 

[mknox]

Okay Tesla has clearly "forgotten", because when I picked up my car they ALL came with blue plates. They were out of stock on green plates at MTO.

... are you sure it was the "out of stock" thing? Or not that problem where they had cars registered as gasoline powered and the MTO computer couldn't issue green plates? When I was in a couple of weeks ago to get my blue/green plate mixup resolved by Tesla, the fellow there mentioned that they were having another similar mix-up with a recent batch of cars.

But yes, I got my $8,500 rebate and my car had regular old blue "number" plates for over 2 years until recently.

 

[rapoport3a]

I'd like to know who at Lawrence is telling people that you need green plates to get the rebate.

 

[mknox]

I'd like to know who at Lawrence is telling people that you need green plates to get the rebate.

Likely just a miscommunication. You have to have an EV to get the rebate, EVs are eligible for green plates, hence the assumption green plates = rebate.

 

[Doug_G]

... are you sure it was the "out of stock" thing?

Yeah, might have been a "white lie" for "we were in a humongous rush and screwed up the paperwork". (They were in a humongous rush at the time...)

 

[cSquared]

Thank you, Gentlemen, for your prompt feedback.

To give you an update, the last email I got from Lawrence states that if I choose to go with blue plates, I “could possibly receive a ticket since regular blue plates are not meant for electric vehicles”.

So I stopped today at the biggest police station on my way home. I asked the question. The police officer blinked hard at me like I had two heads. No way could I be ticketed for that.

I won’t mention any name from Lawrence – he is a nice guy. I’ll sit down with him one day soon and straighten things out – hopefully he won’t misinform any more customers in the future. Especially stubborn women.

 

[Ugliest1]

Especially stubborn women.

LOL. I guess I'd better not make any comments about redundancy. I doubt my wife would read this thread... but... I'm a chicken.

 

[Doug_G]

Yes you could get a ticket... if you drove in the HOV lane with one person on board. Otherwise NOT.

 

[mknox]

To give you an update, the last email I got from Lawrence states that if I choose to go with blue plates, I “could possibly receive a ticket since regular blue plates are not meant for electric vehicles”.

I wonder if he meant ticketed for driving solo in the HOV lanes? Surely not for just driving around with plain blue number plates.

 

[Judge Advocate]

"With the green plates you can use the HOV with just 1 person, instead of 3 people."

This is totally NOT true! Be very careful come Pan Am time.
Teslas will only be permitted on the 400 series highways, which is great, and the QEW. (With one person in car).

The Don Valley, Gardiner and Lakeshore are off limits to Teslas with one occupant.

There is a $110.00 fine set forth by the government and 3 demerit points levied against infiltrators.
After the Games are over, yes, you will be able to use your Tesla with one person, on all HOV lanes once again.

 

[mknox]

After the Games are over, yes, you will be able to use your Tesla with one person, on all HOV lanes once again.

All Provincially controlled highways. There are HOV lanes on, for example Bay Street in Toronto that you can't drive an EV in (solo). If Toronto decides to keep HOV lanes on the DVP or Gardiner, those would not be eligible either.

 

[RiverBrick]

Thank you, Gentlemen, for your prompt feedback.

To give you an update, the last email I got from Lawrence states that if I choose to go with blue plates, I “could possibly receive a ticket since regular blue plates are not meant for electric vehicles”.

So I stopped today at the biggest police station on my way home. I asked the question. The police officer blinked hard at me like I had two heads. No way could I be ticketed for that.

I won’t mention any name from Lawrence – he is a nice guy. I’ll sit down with him one day soon and straighten things out – hopefully he won’t misinform any more customers in the future. Especially stubborn women.

Tesla Motors is right, you could be ticketed for that. Yes, many individual police officers may interpret the law differently, but as written you must have an EV with Ontario-issued Green Plates to enjoy the single-occupancy HOV lane privilege.

I wrote the Transport Ministry about this and they responded that you must take the law literally. For example, I have an EV with Special Green Plates and the somewhat universal EV logo. However, since my car is registered in Québec I can be ticketed if I try to use an HOV lane.

 

[mknox]

Tesla Motors is right, you could be ticketed for that. Yes, many individual police officers may interpret the law differently, but as written you must have an EV with Ontario-issued Green Plates to enjoy the single-occupancy HOV lane privilege.

Not to put too fine a point on this, but if you don't want or need to use the HOV lanes, there is no other need to have green plates. You will not be ticketed for simply having an electric car with blue number plates.