The founder of the Prince George Electric Vehicle Association applauds the province’s move to bump up its zero-emission vehicle sales timeline to 2035.
The previous target from the NDP was 2040.
Doug Beckett told MyPGNow.com given the fact, the number of registered light-duty vehicles in BC has risen by 2500% over the past seven years, the shifting timeline is not surprising.
“The government’s advancement of its timeline is more of a reflection of the rapid increase in sales of electric vehicles.”
He added the government’s advanced timeline now puts all the onus on dealerships and manufacturers to follow suit.
“At the same time, this will try and motivate car dealerships and the manufacturers to make more electric vehicles available.”
Beckett added while hydro bills will likely go up by $25 per month, if someone drives 18,000 km a year, consumers’ Visa bills will likely drop by 100 bucks per month due to not filling up at the pumps.
He also squashed the notion that electric vehicles aren’t built for our harsher climates in the winter.
“Electric vehicles start in cold weather when gas and diesel vehicles don’t because it’s too cold for those vehicles. Gas and diesel vehicles your engines need to warm up before they get warm air into the cab where the people sitting. With electric vehicles, you have the instant heat from the electric heaters.”
“You’ll have 90 degrees Fahrenheit blowing in at the people sitting in the vehicles within half a minute. At minus 35, minus 40, you can have a comfortable cab area in five minutes with an electric vehicle.”
The ZEV Act amendments will require automakers to meet an escalating annual percentage of new light-duty ZEV sales and leases, reaching 26% of light-duty vehicle sales by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035, five years ahead of the original target.
British Columbia now has one of the largest public-charging networks in Canada with more than 4,800 electric-charging stations province-wide, compared to 781 charging stations in 2016, an increase of 515%.
The PG Electric Vehicle Association meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from Rivers Edge Services on 18th Avenue from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.
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