Gas stations, commercial lots in Vancouver must have EV chargers by 2025 or pay $10K a year
If a Vancouver gas station or commercial lot with 60 spots or more wants to avoid a $10,000 annual licence fee, it will need to have electric vehicle (EV) chargers available by 2025.
On Thursday, Vancouver city council approved a report first brought forward in April. Currently, gas stations and commercial parking lots pay a $243 fee for licensing. If they install EV charging infrastructure by 2025, that fee will remain; if not, the cost will jump to $10,000 each year.
Ian Neville, senior sustainability specialist at the City of Vancouver, said the policy is designed to make chargers more accessible in areas of the city that don't have many available, such as Southeast Vancouver.
“That's one of the big pieces. Obviously, we would also like to see more private-sector involvement in deploying charging,” he said.
“And the city does it as a community amenity. It's something we've been in the business of doing for about 10 years now.”
Right now, two of Vancouver's 66 gas stations have EV chargers, and council hopes the move will encourage EV use and incentivize gas stations and lot owners to install chargers.
Around 40 per cent of the city's greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuel-powered vehicles, while the other notable chunk comes from buildings, at 60 per cent, with many of those emissions coming from natural gas.
EVs are one part of a clean transit system, but experts say bolstering public transport and encouraging denser and mixed-use neighbourhoods is also an important part of the puzzle. Neville said the city's Climate Emergency Action plan addresses some of those issues, and he notes things like electrifying transit fall outside of the city's jurisdiction.
City staff said a conservative cost estimate to install the chargers is $136,000 for gas stations and $100,000 for commercial lot owners. These costs would be recovered in around eight years by charging for the power, they added. Also, businesses would be eligible for low-carbon fuel standard credits through the provincial government if they install EV chargers.
During the public hearing, EV user Tim Bray expressed overall support for the report but said the case for gas stations is “weak” and noted incentives for malls and other places where people spend more time might be more suited.
“If we really want to move the needle on EV adoption, the thing to do is to focus on getting chargers into work locations, and especially condo garages… I know the issue is difficult and has awful, sharp edges,” he said.
“But I think there are opportunities for the city to apply incentives here as well. But… yes, this is great. Let's have lots of chargers in parking lots.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.