Get your (electric) motors running…

The Vancouver Park Board gave the green light this week for a new pilot study to install three combined electric vehicle (EV) charging stations/cell towers in Stanley Park. This is a great private-public partnership between the City, the Parks Board and TELUS, who is footing the $1 million bill to build the stations with no upfront cost to taxpayers. What a  pleasure to hear people from all stripes of the political spectrum extol  the benefits of electric vehicles and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Photo credit: City of Vancouver

I was happy to speak in favour of this motion on behalf of WWF at the Park Board meeting, as promoting electric vehicles is a key part of our Energy program.   I presented our Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential of Electric Vehicles: 2025 Outlook Report which talks about the need for visible and accessible public charging stations.
This pilot is the latest action in Vancouver’s quest to be Canada’s leader in electric vehicle use, and also the greenest city in the world by 2020.
Cars are convenient, and the City knows they’ll be around for some time to come, so it’s key to support technologies and infrastructure that reduce the environmental impact of these vehicles.
Greenhouse gases from personal transportation represent approximately 33% of the total community greenhouse gas emissions in Vancouver. The bold Greenest City Action Plan calls for accelerating the shift to low- and zero-carbon-emission vehicles, as they emit far less greenhouse gases than regular cars.  (The Plan’s other Green Transportation targets  for 2020 are to  have residents make the majority of their trips by foot, bicycle, and public transit and to reduce the average distance driven per resident by 20% from 2007 levels.)
Vancouver now requires 20% of parking stalls in new multi-family buildings to contain charging receptacles, and under the Charge and Go Vancouver trial up to 67 EV charging stations will be installed throughout the city by the end of 2013.
The province  of BC is also revving its electric engine. Through the the CEVforBC point of sale incentive program British Columbians are eligible for up to $5,000 off the pre-tax sticker price for qualifying CEVs including  electric vehicles. And the Community Charging Infrastructure Fund, Plug In BC initiative supports the development of up to 570 charging stations throughout the province.
We need to make the switch. The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy’s final report, Reality Check: The State of Climate Progress in Canada, concludes that despite making progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Canada is not on track to achieve the federal government’s 2020 reduction target of 17% below 2005 levels. Canada will not achieve its target unless significant new, additional measures are taken. EVs are one way to make progress on the target.