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Electric Vehicles Charging Forward
Aug
09
2011
The Ontario Government is investing $80 million to support electric vehicle charging stations, which is good for our environment and good for our economy.
photo credit: flickr
Ontarians got some good news this morning with an announcement that the government will provide $80 million to spur development and investment in electric car-charging stations.
Have no doubt; electric vehicles (EVs) are the way of the future. From an environmental perspective, they are more energy efficient and dovetail well with the province’s push to build out renewable energy. And as oil becomes more and more expensive, they are looking increasingly attractive from an economic perspective, too. It’s just a matter of time before EVs become a common sight on our roads, and with respect to time, sooner would be better than later. The faster we transition, the sooner our air will benefit and the sooner costs will come down.
And in Ontario, there’s a further reason to support the adoption of EVs: Jobs. Automotive manufacturing fueled a generation of economic growth, but that sector has been hit hard in recent years. Green manufacturing is the most promising way to reverse this decline and secure high quality jobs for the future. And good policy is important here. The province’s Green Energy Act, which has interested 40 or so solar panel and wind-turbine component manufacturers, proves the point. And we are beginning to attract EV manufacturing already. Just last week, Toyota announced that they will make their RAV4 EV here in Ontario. And it’s not just about attracting new firms. Existing firms, like Mississauga-based battery maker, Electrovaya, will benefit too.
To be sure, there are those who think the government should stay out of these things. The truth is, Ontario’s move will keep us in step with the world’s leading economies.
For example, there are already about 1000 EV charging points in the U.K, and there are plans to install 4000 more by the end of 2012, thanks to government support. And there are also plans in place to install 20 battery switch stations across Denmark. And it’s not just Europe. Israel too has an ambitious plan which will allow drivers to travel anywhere in the country in an electric car, even though its range may be only 160 km, and China aims to put more than a million electric vehicles onto the road each year by 2015. In fact, Ontario isn’t even alone in Canada. The Quebec government recently announced plans put 300,000 electric cars on the road within the next decade.
So, it’s good news that our government is supporting this transition to EVs. Our environment, pocket books and our economy will all be better off. EVs allow Ontario to stop sending our dollars away to import expensive and dirty oil, and instead create jobs at home by powering our cars with local, green electricity.
leave a comment
Aug
10
2011
electric cars
toby trompeter says:
I'm all for electric cars and green energy, but the cost of the cars are exorbitant. What point is there in investing in charging stns if the cars themselves are well beyond the reach of most people? I am waiting for the day when the cars themselves will be subsidized in some way.
Aug
10
2011
Electric cars are subsidized
kbrooks says:
Hi Toby, thanks for your comment, and I have some good news for you. Electric vehicles are subsidized in Ontario with a rebate of up to $8500. And because they are less expensive to run (charging your battery with electricity costs far less than filling your tank with gasoline) most analysts calculate that over the lifetime of the vehicle, it's cheaper to go electric already. No doubt, the upfront cost is still hefty, but with time, those costs will come down.
Aug
10
2011
Good Green Jobs
Dave Freeman says:
Although I think electric vehicles are desirable and am in favour of installing the necessary infrastructure to support them, I take issue with your comment about the Green Energy Act. This act is costing Ontario taxpayers a huge amount of money to support solar and wind power. The government pays $0.80 per kWh for solar power and $0.40 per kWh for wind power and it is sold to the consumer at between $0.059 and $0.107. The difference comes out of our taxes. The 5500 or so jobs created don't come close to making up for that cost. In addition, the government has given manufacturers such as Hitachi incentives to build their plants here, so that is another tax cost attributable to these green power initiatives.
As for sending money away for oil, Canada is a net exporter of oil, so we don't send money out of the country to use oil.
Aug
10
2011
Hello Dave, I'm glad you're
kbrooks says:
Hello Dave, I'm glad you're keen on electric cars, but your assertion that green energy is costing taxpayers a lot of money is not true.
First off, we pay the cost of the GEA on our electricity bills, not taxes. And although those bills are indeed going up, green energy is not at fault.
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, a non-partisan public servant, calculated that renewables and conservation combined are responsible for a mere 3% of the hydro increase (see:http://www.eco.on.ca/blog/2011/03/22/the-true-cost-of-renewable-energy-and-conservation/) And a recent study from the Pembina Institute found that over the long term (25 years I think) our investments in green energy will yield cheaper rates, and save rate-payers money.
Aug
10
2011
Ontario oil imports
Ian says:
I'm pretty sure that most of Canada's oil production (i.e. from Alberta's oil sands is shipped to the U.S. via pipeline. I'm not sure of the numbers, but I think a good portion of the oil consumed in Ontario does come from outside of Canada.
Aug
10
2011
Re Oil Imports
kbrooks says:
The point is that Ontario is an importer of oil, and when we buy oil we're sending our money out of Ontario's economy, whether it be to Alberta or elsewhere.
If we build, buy and drive EVs that run on clean electricity produced in Ontario, we will help our economy and clean our air, but if we continue to rely on imported oil, we'll hurt our environment and send money out of our economy.
Aug
14
2011
Why Recharging Stations?
Michael Wilding says:
With the vehicle constantly moving, why is there no attempt at putting a form of wind generator on the vehicle? Even if you assume the vehicle only travels at 40Km/h, that should be plenty of "wind" to generate what the vehicle needs to power itself.
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