Plug-in Electric Car Sales In Canada, Feb 2015: Tesla May Be On Top, BC Incentives Back

After strong December and January sales, Tesla may "three-peat" atop Canadian rankings for plug-in electric car sales last month.

Lower-than-usual Volt and Leaf sales mirrored lower-than-usual temperatures across most of Canada in February, meaning the Tesla Model S stood a good chance of taking the top spot.

The Silicon Valley startup followed a phenomenal December (123 registrations) with a fine January (99)--marking the first time it topped the Canadian plug-in sales rankings in consecutive months.

But as it happened, contrary to the frigid temperatures and meters of piled snow across the rest of the country, February was an unusually mild month in the province of British Columbia.

Nowhere was there more warmth than in electric-vehicle advocates' hearts when the provincial government announced, shortly after Valentine's Day, that its forthcoming budget would restore some plug-in electric vehicle incentives.

DON'T MISS: When Electric Car Incentives Expire: A Case Study In Canada (Sep 2014)

When details are announced--perhaps later this month at the Vancouver International Auto Show?--we'll provide coverage.

It's worth noting that local electric-car clubs patiently but persistently advocated for their return.

Perhaps there's a lesson there.

February sales

Meanwhile, the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf both notched 38 sales in February. In the Volt's case, that was the lowest monthly total in three years.

While some buyers may be holding off for the upcoming debut of the second-generation Volt, we can't help but think the weather played a factor.

Quebec buyers might have held off because it was the coldest February in Montreal in more than a century, with Quebec City being even colder. (Quebec saw more than three-quarters of Canada's roughly 1,500 Chevy Volt sales last year.)

While Leaf sales rose from the 36 in January, they were lower year-over-year (64 were sold in February 2014).