Preparing for the electric wave
World-Leading Assistance for Garage Orphans

Vancouver, BC January 4, 2021 – for immediate release

Time is running out for older residential building owners to benefit from world-leading funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.  At risk: millions of dollars in government rebates offered to dramatically reduce owners’ cost of installing electrical infrastructure that will make their condo and apartment buildings EV ready. The Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association is offering timely help.

“This is a rare opportunity to get essential building upgrades subsidized by government” said John Stonier, President of VEVA, “And yet it is not well known. We want to change that and help these owners access the money.”

Access to charging is a precondition for purchasing an electric car. For garage orphans, those people who live in condos, rental apartment buildings or homes without garages, finding an electrical outlet adjacent to where they park can be an issue. Half of BC’s population now lives in multi-unit residential buildings that lack convenient charging facilities. This is a significant barrier to adoption of electric vehicles.

Some relief is already here. Beginning April 2011 the City of Vancouver mandated that 20% of parking spaces in new condos, as a minimum, must be wired for EV charging. In 2021 fifteen BC cities have adopted “EV ready” policies. Most importantly, the current standard for pre-wired parking spaces for all new buildings is for 100% coverage.

But what of the 98% of legacy buildings built before these EV friendly policies were adopted? While the technical challenges for adding EV charging for every suite in a building are not trivial, most buildings can accommodate additional electrical loads without rebuilding main electrical feeds. New power managing electronics make this possible. However, the cost to retrofit wiring to each parking stall can be a major capital expense and requires buy-in by the building owner, and this has been the biggest hurdle to date.

Support is now on its way, however, with the BC Government’s recently announced new charger rebate program. “This is a world leading initiative” said John Stonier, President of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association. “Nowhere has any government stepped up with this level of assistance to ensure that all multi-family dwellings will be prepared for an electric vehicle future”.

The CleanBC Go Electric EV Charger Rebate Program’s most important features are the EV Ready funding to support the technical planning for retrofit projects, and secondly, the EV Infrastructure funding that provides up to $600 per space up to $80,000. This is significant financial assistance that enables all strata and rental building owners to pre-wire at least one parking stall per suite in order to “future-proof” their buildings and add real estate value now for the growing number of EV owning residents. Having at least one parking stall per suite pre-wired for charger plug-in ensures that all suites in a building have equal attractiveness to future owners or tenants who are looking for home charging convenience.

With the wired infrastructure in place, EV Charging equipment can be added modularly, as required, at minimal cost.  The Program provides additional amounts of up to $14,000 for actual charging equipment in addition to the primary infrastructure incentives.  For 2020, the total incentives for a single building can add up to $97,000.

Time Limited – Need to Act Fast!

VEVA notes that the Program offer ends on February 28, 2021. To help strata councils and apartment landlords, VEVA is providing an EV Ready/Infrastructure Checklist to start preparations now, and has scheduled a public webinar for January 6, 2021 which will include representatives Plug-In BC who are providing free consulting services to assist applicants.  The EV Ready/Infrastructure Checklist and webinar registration can be found at VEVA’s website www.veva.ca .

About the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association

VEVA was formed in 1988 as a non-profit society to promote the use and adoption of electric vehicles through educational programs and outreach to the general public and corporate and government leaders.

VEVA membership is open to the public and engages members with monthly Member meetings to hear the latest news and developments related to electric vehicles, through weekly Meet-ups and on-line discussion forums, and through our annual electric vehicle extravaganza ElectraFest.

ElectraFest21, will be our 25^th annual and is planned to be held at the Roundhouse Community Centre in downtown Vancouver on Saturday August 21, 2021.

Media Contact: John Stonier, President  media@VEVA.ca  (778.775.8456)

BC Election 2020: Electric Vehicles
Where do the parties stand on making EV's more affordable?

Vancouver, BC October 19, 2020 – for immediate release
Where do BC’s political parties stand on making zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) an affordable, consumer-driven part of BC’s economic and climate change response? 
 
The BC Green Party and the BC NDP have taken up this issue, in part in response to policy recommendations made by BC’s nine electric vehicle associations. 
 
The associations represent the interests of 42,000 EV owners across the province and joined together to provide the political parties with ten recommended policies to include in their platforms.
 
Affordability of EVs
A critical recommendation concerns the affordability of electric vehicles.  Given that most new EVs have a $45,000-65,000 MSRP, the associations focused on incentives for used electric vehicles including steps to ensure that used EV dealers have access to rebates and PST Tax exemption initiatives to make EVs more affordable for lower income British Columbians. 
 

• The BC Green Party is proposing to remove PST on used EVs to make ZEV ownership more accessible.
• The BC NDP “will provide a new income-tested incentive on new and used zero-emission vehicles to get more people into the electric vehicle rebate program, regardless of their income.”
• The BC Liberals did not mention EV incentive programs and affordability in their platform, but have promised a one-year PST suspension and a second year at 3%. 

 
Availability of Pickups and Trucks
Pickup trucks are a vehicle of choice in many BC jurisdictions, and medium and heavy-duty trucks are a necessary part of BC’s transport system, yet currently there are no ZEV models in these sectors in BC.  To address this shortfall, the associations are asking government to incorporate ZEV versions of these vehicles into the province’s mandated zero emission schedule that has proven so successful for cars, namely 10% sales in 2025, 30% in 2030 and 100% by 2040.
 

• The BC Greens propose to “work with industry to develop additional innovation incentive programs and set new ZEV targets for commercial vehicles and on and off-road medium and heavy-duty vehicles.”
• The BC NDP and BC Liberals do not cover medium and heavy-duty vehicles in their platforms. This is an unfortunate omission. While currently only 11% of BC road vehicles are heavy duty, they produce 50% of the GHG load and 70% of fine particulates (PM2.5).The resulting toll on our environment and health this causes can readily be corrected by incorporating these vehicles into the province’s zero emission schedule.

 
There are signs the availability of affordable models of electric vehicles is set to increase. Vancouver EV Association President John Stonier observes “With supportive government policies, we can expect to see the day when car and truck manufacturers will offer zero emission models that compete favourably on purchase price with gasoline and diesel vehicles.  ZEVs are much cheaper to operate than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, and they are fun to drive.  As more models become available, we anticipate there will be a profound shift to personal and commercial ZEV transport that mirrors the changes we have seen in mass transit.”
 
For a further comparison of the BC EV Associations’ recommendations and the BC Political Party platforms, see the attached table. 

 

EV Policy Recommendations - BC EV Associations and Owner Groups

Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association
Victoria Electric Vehicle Association
Comox Valley Electric Vehicle Association
Sunshine Coast Electric Vehicle Association
Transition Saltspring Island EV Group
Prince George Electric Vehicle Association
Mid Vancouver Island EV Association
Kamloops Electric Vehicle Owners
Tesla Owners Club of British Columbia

About the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association
VEVA was formed in 1988 as a non-profit society to promote the use and adoption of electric vehicles through educational programs and outreach to the general public, corporate and government leaders.
VEVA membership is open to the public and engages members with monthly Member meetings to hear the latest news and developments related to electric vehicles, through weekly Meet-ups and on-line discussion forums, and through our annual electric vehicle festival ElectraFest.

ElectraFest21, will be our 35^th annual after ElectraFest20 had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, and will be held at the Roundhouse Community Centre in downtown Vancouver on Saturday August 21, 2021.

 Media Contact: John Stonier  media@VEVA.ca (778.775.8456)

BC Election 2020: Electric Vehicles Where do the parties stand? Vancouver, BC October 15, 2020 – for immediate release Where do BC’s three main political parties stand on electric vehicle adoption as a factor in economic recovery and the environment?  On October 1st, BC electric vehicle associations representing 42,000 EV owners across the province submitted a list of ten recommended policies for parties to include in their platforms. The BC Green Party topped the list by incorporating six of the recommendations into their platform, followed by the BC NDP with three, and the BC Liberals with one.  The proposed measures are meant to ensure electric vehicle adoption will remain a priority for a new government and enable British Columbian residents and businesses to share in the economic and environmental benefits of electric vehicles, also known as Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV).  A key recommendation endorsed by the BC Green Party addresses the rural-urban gap in EV infrastructure support by ensuring that rural and remote communities have the same kind of access to high speed charging as urban areas.  The Greens promised to “Undertake a comprehensive build out of public charging infrastructure on all highways in the province, particularly in remote and rural BC, to enable EV drivers to travel across BC with ease.”  The Liberals made a broad commitment to “Support investments in more electric vehicle charging stations across BC, working with municipalities and businesses.”  The NDP initiated a network of highspeed charging under CleanBC while in office, but this was not mentioned in their platform. A second key recommendation endorsed by the BC Green party concerns the lack of charging facilities in older condos, an issue that is widely seen as a limiting factor in EV adoption.  The Greens promised to “Support electric vehicle charging in multi-unit buildings through a variety of tools, including building code changes and establishing ‘right to charge’ rules to facilitate access to home charging infrastructure for British Columbians living in multi-family buildings.”  The NDP environment plank states “We will expand home and workplace charging through increased incentives and ‘right-to- charge’ legislation that gets charging infrastructure into more strata and apartment buildings.” The Liberals’ platform makes no mention of the issue of multi-unit buildings and charging. Vancouver EV Association President John Stonier emphasized that the recommended policy measures do not require a new government to spend taxpayer money but stand to make a real difference in light of the significant increase in EVs across the province.  “There is a need for government legislated measures to ensure that more British Columbians can switch to zero emissions driving with appropriate EV charging access and infrastructure.”   For a further comparison of the BC EV Associations’ recommendations and the BC Political Party platforms can be found in this document.   EV Policy Recommendations - BC EV Associations and Owner Groups Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association Victoria Electric Vehicle Association Comox Valley Electric Vehicle Association Sunshine Coast Electric Vehicle Association Transition Saltspring Island EV Group Prince George Electric Vehicle Association Mid Vancouver Island EV Association Kamloops Electric Vehicle Owners Tesla Owners Club of British Columbia About the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association VEVA was formed in 1988 as a non-profit society to promote the use and adoption of electric vehicles through educational programs and outreach to the general public, corporate and government leaders. VEVA membership is open to the public and engages members with monthly Member meetings to hear the latest news and developments related to electric vehicles, through weekly Meet-ups and on-line discussion forums, and through our annual electric vehicle festival ElectraFest. ElectraFest21, will be our 35th annual after ElectraFest20 had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, and will be held at the Roundhouse Community Centre in downtown Vancouver on Saturday August 21, 2021.  Media Contact: John Stonier  media@VEVA.ca (778.775.8456)

BC Election 2020: Electric Vehicle Policy Recommendations for a New Government

Vancouver, BC October 6, 2020 – for immediate release

Electric vehicle associations representing 42,000 EV owners across the province have submitted a list of ten recommended policies for parties to include in their platforms. These measures will ensure that electric vehicle adoption remains a priority for the new government to enable British Columbian residents and businesses to share in the economic and environmental benefits of electric vehicles, more generally classified as Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV). 

Recommended Policy Initiatives

1.       Support current Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Legislation and ZEV Incentives regarding Light Duty Vehicles (LDV) going forward to help BC meet our Climate Change commitment.

2.       Enhance current ZEV Legislation to include medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MDV/HDV) at the same 10% sales in 2025, 30% in 2030 and 100% by 2040 going forward to help BC meet our Climate Change commitment.

3.       Encourage and aid BC municipalities and BC crown corporations to achieve 25% ZEV fleets by 2024 and 100% by 2030.

4.       Amend the programs of Clean Energy Vehicles (CEV) and Scrap-It to be accessible to all BC registered dealerships ensuring greater citizen access to both new and used ZEV sales.

5.       Direct BC Hydro and encourage other BC utilities to provide a rate tariff with a flat per kWh rate, without demand charges, for providers of Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFC) so that known energy costs can be used to appropriately price and encourage commercial build out of the DCFC network within the province.

6.       Support the implementation of BC Hydro’s DCFC Accessibility Guidelines as a matter of compliance with the accessibility rights protected by the BC Human Rights Code, to enable everyone, including persons with disabilities, to access and operate EVs.

7.       Continue to support a comprehensive build out of public DCFC EV charging infrastructure on all primary and secondary highways in the province, particularly in remote and rural areas, including all end-point destinations to ensure equal availability for province-wide EV travel, EV tourism, and EV adoption.

8.       Direct ICBC to include on every new and renewed policy a statement indicating the average annual GHGs emitted by the vehicle being insured – this will raise awareness of individual citizens’ impact in their vehicle choices.

9.       Support and Enact the Recommendation of the Union of BC Municipalities Resolution B144 on “Right to Charge” for all multi-unit residential buildings, whether strata owned condos or rental apartments.

10.   Support Low Income Residents access to ZEVs by increasing incentives and removing Provincial Sales Tax on used ZEVs.

According to Vancouver EV Association President John Stonier, who co-sponsored the letter, the recommended policy measures will not require the new government to spend taxpayer money yet will make a real difference in light of the significant increase in EVs across the province.

Stonier noted, “EV ownership in the province has nearly doubled each year over the past five years.  These increases underscore the need for sensible government policies to ensure that more British Columbians can switch to zero emissions driving with appropriate EV charging access and infrastructure.”

The policy measures were submitted to the BC NDP, Liberal, Conservative, and Green parties by the following electric vehicle associations:

Vancouver EV Association
Victoria EV Association
Comox Valley EV Association
Sunshine Coast EV Association
Transition Saltspring Island EV Group
Prince George EV Association
Mid-Vancouver Island EV Association
Kamloops EV Owners
Tesla Owners of British Columbia

The letter sent to the parties can be downloaded here.

About the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association

VEVA was formed in 1988 as a non-profit society to promote the use and adoption of electric vehicles through educational programs and outreach to the general public, corporate and government leaders.

VEVA membership is open to the public and engages members with monthly Member meetings to hear the latest news and developments related to electric vehicles, through weekly Meet-ups and on-line discussion forums, and through our annual electric vehicle extravaganza ElectraFest.

ElectraFest21, will be our 35^th annual after ElectraFest20 had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, and will be held at the Roundhouse Community Centre in downtown Vancouver on Saturday August 21, 2021.

Media Contact: John Stonier  media@VEVA.ca (778.775.8456)

Vancouver, BC December 31, 2019 – for immediate release

Analysis released today by the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) confirms that 2019 was a year of records for electric vehicles (EV) in British Columbia. Among the milestones:

·         2019 marks a full decade that modern electric production cars were available to BC consumers.

·         The number of electric cars in use in BC more than doubled in the last 12 months, reflecting the highest adoption rates in the country, and highest on the continent.

·         Public EV charging networks continue to grow, and programs for residential condo and workplace EV charging were formalized through BC Hydro.

·         Electrification of other transportation beginning to take hold. 2019 witnessed the first electric seaplane trial in BC, and BC Ferries first two Island Class electric ferries are en-route for delivery in early 2020.

·         Operating an electric car has distinct energy saving and carbon footprint advantages. VEVA quantifies them for British Columbians for 2019.

 “Range anxiety is no longer a factor for most consumers” said Ron Burton, President of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA).  “The requirement now is for auto manufacturers to commence building pick-ups and larger trucks to fill the needs that cars don’t meet.”

Spokesperson John Stonier said “the success and spread of electric transportation in just 10 years shows the potential for BC to be a leader in fighting climate change while at the same time making our economy more efficient and productive.”

Download the full release here.

Background data and images attached:

·         Electric Vehicles set adoption records for BC in 2019

·         Addressing supply shortages for EVs in British Columbia

·         Environmental and economic benefits of EVs