I was pleased to be invited by BC Minister Michelle Mungall to help organize a recent Clean Energy Vehicle Day in Victoria, during which the provincial government made a commitment, along with other partners, to more than double the size of BC’s current electric vehicle fast-charger network.
The New Car Dealers Association (NCDA) applauds this commitment, as the biggest obstacle to adoption of EVs is a lack of adequate charging locations, commonly referred to as range anxiety
Electric vehicle sales are growing steadily and as more and more EV products appear on the road, drivers need charging spots that will keep pace with demand. Vehicle travel doesn’t observe boundaries, so there also needs to a concerted effort by governments at all levels, in cooperation with the charging infrastructure industry and others to play a role in planning and funding a network of charging locations that ensures access where EV drivers live, work and play.
As new car dealers, we work hard to ensure consumers have the best and most up to date information about the latest vehicles, options and support – and increasingly those conversations are about clean energy vehicles.
We recently hosted the 98th Vancouver International Auto Show and it was the greenest yet. Electric vehicles took center stage and the number of participants in the CEVforBCTM Electric Vehicle Experience Test Drive increased 18 per cent over 2017 – with more than 2,500 people taking the opportunity to take an EV or hybrid out for a test drive.
Another feature of this year’s event was a panel discussion I hosted, involving CEOs of some of the largest automotive manufacturers. One thing was made clear; clean energy vehicles will continue to play an increasing role in the future, with KIA officials as an example, indicating they will be producing 16 new clean energy models within the next decade.
Consumers no longer need to be led into a discussion about the virtues of clean energy vehicles. They want and are demanding that auto manufacturers address their increasing appetite for green modes of transportation.
For some, record high fuel prices are a motivating factor. For others, the move to cleaner technology is the result of becoming more environmentally aware. And for many, incentive programs have also helped steer them in this direction.
The CEVforBCTM Program, which we administer on behalf of Government, offers B.C. residents up to $5,000 dollars for the purchase or lease of an eligible vehicle. In the last three-and-a-half years, more than 4,200 units have been approved through the Program.
And of course, there is the SCRAP-IT® Program, which also provides an incentive to remove any combustion engine from our roads and replace it with a clean energy vehicle. Since its inception in 1996, that Program has successfully removed more than 43,000 super-polluting vehicles from BC roads.
Through the continued efforts and leadership shown by auto manufacturers, new car dealers and government, British Columbia has become a national leader by embracing more clean energy vehicles per capita than any other province – and it’s a road we need to continue to travel together.
Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. You can email him at [email protected].
