Travis McKeown with his new blue Chevy Bolt in Richmond, BC., May 6, 2019.Nick Procaylo / Postmedia When Travis McKeown considered getting rid of his 2007 Honda Civic recently, the high price of gas and the abundance of government rebates made the idea of switching to an electric vehicle too good to pass up. The 32-year-old IT worker did the math on his daily commute from Surrey to Richmond, the travel range needed for his wife and two young children, the cost of premium gas for his Civic SI, the fact he’d get an HOV sticker for the George Massey Tunnel, the lower maintenance fees and the almost $16,000 in rebates currently available from the provincial, federal and SCRAP-IT programs. In the end, McKeown bought a fully loaded $60,000 Chevrolet Bolt electric, and cut the price down to $44,000 with incentives. He took possession of his high-tech new ride early May 2019, and is pleased at how it all worked out. “If the rebates weren’t there, it wouldn’t make sense,” he said of his purchase. However, McKeown is now facing hassles and more than $4,000 to get a charger installed in his strata townhome due to electrical upgrades. The B.C. government is counting on motorists like McKeown to sort out the details and make the switch from gas to electric vehicles as part of its aggressive target to require all new car, SUV and light-duty trucks sales be zero-emission by 2040. The idea to phase out gas vehicles as part of the NDP’s Clean B.C. climate-change-pollution reduction goal is attracting both criticism and praise as the legislation winds its way through debate at the legislature. Opposition Liberal MLAs have raised concerns about so-called “range anxiety” on the travel distance of electric vehicles, the lack of available charging stations, battery-replacement costs of up to $8,000 exceeding the value of the vehicle, pollution caused from battery recycling, the high cost of retrofitting charging stations into existing strata buildings, and the need in some parts of rural B.C. to continue to use more-powerful gas and diesel-powered heavy-duty trucks. “All of the items of concerns that they listed … they are not reasons to pull back from this type of mandate, and that’s the consensus amongst many jurisdictions,” said Energy Minister Michelle Mungall. “The world is changing and B.C. has the option to stay behind or get on-board and we not only want to get on-board, we want to be leaders.” Interest in electric vehicles in B.C. is among the highest in Canada, and made up four per cent of new, light-duty vehicle sales in 2018. In the first quarter of 2019, sales rose to six per cent. There are more than 17,000 zero-emission vehicles currently on B.C. roads. An EV electric vehicle charging parking spot in a parking lot at UBC, Vancouver, February 20 2019. Gerry Kahrmann / Postmedia The legislation, if passed, will mean that in 2040 automobile manufacturers will face fines if they sell or lease new sedans, SUVs or light-duty trucks (Ford F-150-level equivalents) that run on gas. Regular hybrids also won’t be allowed, but plug-in hybrids and hydrogen-powered vehicles would be exempt. To get there, B.C. proposes to phase in requirements of 10 per cent of vehicle sales to be emissions-free by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030. New gas- or diesel-powered heavy duty vehicles, like Ford F-250s, buses, transport trucks, motorcycles and medium-duty delivery vans, would be exempt and still available for purchase after 2040. Also, used gas-powered vehicles could still be sold at used-car dealerships. Technically, the legislation sets out a complicated “ZEV” unit sales compliance system, similar to California, where automobile manufacturers pick up units depending on the range and emission type of vehicles sold. Penalties for failing to comply or properly report could be as high as $1 million. Opposition Liberals are supporting the legislation, but are still concerned at government dictating what people can buy without a clear plan on how to increase the number of charging stations and handle electricity demands, said critic Peter Milobar. “It’s not going to accomplish anywhere near what the marketing of the government is trying to make it out to be,” he said. Milobar said provincial subsidies of up to $5,000 for a new, eligible battery electric or plug-in hybrid aren’t funded or guaranteed beyond 2019. Ottawa has a $5,000-per-vehicle incentive program funded for three years. “Part of the worry with this bill is — and I think it’s a very valid and real concern — is once you’ve made this a legislative mandate with very high fine structures in place it’s very easy for a government to turn around to the manufactures and say there’s no subsidies, it’s your job to figure out how to make people buy a car they don’t want to buy,” said Milobar. Green Leader Andrew Weaver, who owns an electric Nissan LEAF and just bought an electric Hyundai Kona, refuted the concerns. “Most of the points that were raised by the B.C. Liberals
Origin: EV advocates, critics charged up over B.C. goal of phasing out gas vehicles by 2040