Vancouver expands municipal fleet with 13 new electric vehicles
The City of Vancouver is adding 13 new electric vehicles to its fleet.
Mayor Gregor Robertson, who announced the purchase of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV vehicles outside city hall today (August 15), claimed the addition means Vancouver now has “the greenest fleet of vehicles” in Canada.
“We recognize that the city plays a really important role in leading the way and setting the example in its operations, and demonstrating what a greenest city looks like in our city-run buildings, in our facilities, and all of our operations, including our transportation,” he told reporters.
Eleven of the cars will be for city department use, and two for the Vancouver park board. The city estimates the new vehicles will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29,000 kilograms per year, and save $20,800 per year in fuel and maintenance costs.
City engineer Peter Judd said the new vehicles will be used for general duties such as parking enforcement and building inspections.
The cars cost about $28,000 each for the initial purchase, after a provincial rebate. Judd noted the funding comes out of the city’s annual vehicle budget.
“It’s not additional money,” he told the Straight. “We replace vehicles on an ongoing basis, and we have thousands of vehicles of different kinds in the fleet.
“Instead of replacing with a regular Focus or other gas-fueled car, we’ve replaced it with this—so that funding is built in.”
Following the purchase announced today, the city’s electric vehicle fleet now includes 16 i-MiEVs, one Nissan Leaf, two electric scooters, and 23 utility vehicles. Another purchase of up to 17 MiEVs will be made next year.
Six electric-vehicle charging stations are currently in operation at park board facilities around the city. At least 67 stations are expected to be in place by the end of 2013, as part of a partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the B.C. government and B.C. Hydro.
Vancouver also has a policy requiring new, large developments to have electric-vehicle charging in 20 percent of their parking spaces.
Robertson indicated he expects electric vehicles will eventually be more widely adopted among Vancouver residents.
“Vancouver had the highest adoption rate of hybrid vehicles—we certainly see that with our cabs,” he said. “And I expect with electric vehicles, we’ll be at the forefront.”
The Mitsubishi i-MiEVs purchased by the city can travel up to 155 km, and the charging time ranges from half an hour at a quick-charge station to under seven hours for a full battery charge at a 240-volt station.
Seven of the cars have so far been delivered to the city, and the remaining vehicles are scheduled to arrive by the end of the year.
Comments
3 Comments
Mouse Chaser
Aug 16, 2012 at 1:17pm
WASTE OF MONEY.
Jon Petrie
Aug 17, 2012 at 7:42am
Why is using cheap BC hydro electricity from old paid for dams seen as green ? If that electricity was not used here in Vancouver it would be exported south and replace electricity currently being generated in coal plants.
And per another newspaper Jordan Bateman of Canadian Taxpayers Federation "applauded" the purchase by the City of Vancouver of electric cars: "good stewardship ... of tax dollars."
In the same article a City spokesman makes the claim that the total expected annualized cost of an electric car is similar to that of a subcompact gasoline car.
BC gasoline prices include significant taxes -- e.g. 30c a liter of excise tax and a carbon tax -- that BC Hydro electrical rates do not include.
Much lower taxes will be paid to "fuel" the electric vehicles over their life than would be paid to fuel a gasoline car. Only because electricity is undertaxed can the City of Vancouver claim its electric cars are competitive with gasoline cars.
So why is the Canadian Tax Federation applauding a purchase that only makes sense because of what is effectively a tax subsidy on fuel?
hyo silver
Aug 20, 2012 at 10:42am
Electricity is undertaxed, says Jon Petrie. Compared to what? Are you considering all the costs and benefits, or just the manipulated prices at the pump? Sure there are taxes in gasoline, but they do not begin to cover the full costs. If you really want a level playing field, free of all subsidies and counting all externalities, you're barking up the wrong tree.