Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - According to the BC Government, more than 18% of the light duty passenger vehicles sold in the province last year were EVS. There has been a sixfold increase in the number of annual registrations since 2016 and there are currently more than 100,000 EVS on the roads. Some of them are in remote communities like Cortes Island. As the prospect of a transition to electric vehicles becomes more likely, some are asking if this is really a viable option.
Last week Clean Energy Canada, a think tank based in Simon Fraser University, responded with media brief addressing common myths about electric vehicles. Rachel Doren, Director of Policy and Strategy at Clean Energy Canada, subsequently agreed to an Q & A interview.
Cortes Currents asked her:
1. Some people are claiming there isn’t enough lithium and other metals on the planet to support a transition to battery electric vehicles. Is this true?
2. How long can we expect an electric vehicle to last?
3. Is there any truth to the idea that, once you factor in where their electricity comes from, EV’s produce more emissions than gas cars?
4. For years I have been hearing that EVs are just too expensive.
5. What about the idea that EVs just don't have enough range?
6. There’ve been concerns that the grid can not handle the extra demand that would come with a switch to EVs.
7. There used to be a lot of talk about using parked EVs as a backup energy source for the grid. What's happening with this idea?
8. Which is more of a fire risk, an EV or a gas car?
9. Some people believe that EVs can not handle Canada's weather.
