https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-electric-cars-gas-prices-1.5095687
With gas prices soaring, B.C. is pushing zero-emission cars — but is the
province ready to go electric?
Interest in e-vehicles is growing as gas prices rise, bringing questions
about infrastructure
Clare Hennig · CBC News · Posted: Apr 14, 2019 1:00 PM PT
More British Columbians may have been considering buying an electric
vehicle last week, with gas prices soaring and new laws introduced
requiring that all cars and trucks sold in the province be zero emission
by 2040.
But with that consideration comes questions about the future of electric
vehicles in the province — and the infrastructure to support them.
That includes everything from charging options to whether BC Hydro can
handle the demand for extra electricity that more e-vehicles will bring.
Hydro predicts there will be at least 300,000 fully electric cars on the
roads by 2030.
"It's something that we have been planning for in terms of our load
forecast," said Mora Scott, a spokesperson for BC Hydro.
"We are continuing to expand our system but we do have more than enough
power for this."
Battery range, charging questions
As for concerns around the range of electric vehicles and charging them,
B.C. already boasts more than a thousand public charging stations, from
Tofino to the Alberta border.
Scott told CBC'sThe Early Edition that BC Hydro also has 58
fast-charging systems across the province — which will charge a car's
battery to 80 per cent capacity in about a half hour — and is looking to
add more, particularly heading north toward Kamloops and Prince George.
There is also a network of Tesla superchargers.
In any case, 80 per cent of charging happens at home, Scott says.
"What a lot of people don't realize is all it requires is actually your
standard 120-volt outlet," she said.
An eight-hour charge is enough to power an electric vehicle for a range
of about 40 kilometres. [In my experience with multiple EVs over
decades, 50-60 kilometres range can be achieved with 8 hours on a
15-amp, 120-volt household outlet. Also, most houses with 100-amp
service can install a Level 2 charging station without a service upgrade.]
"That might not sound like a lot, but 94 per cent of all car trips
across the province are actually less than 30 kilometres," Scott said.
The prevalence of overnight charging helps take some of the pressure off
the network in terms of power demand, she explained, because it happens
at a time when most other electrical appliances are turned off.
Increasingly, charging stations are being introduced at workplace
parking lots and new condo buildings.
However, for those relying on free street parking or who live under
strict strata rules, charging can be a bit more of a hassle — like for
one Vancouver couple who found they had to park and charge their
electric car a 10-minute walk from their home.
The infrastructure may still be patchy, but Scott says the potential
savings of driving electric remain tempting.
"The prime motivation for buying an electric vehicle would be to save
money on gas and maintenance and, obviously with the rising gas prices,
that makes a lot of sense," she said.
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