Vancouver Magazine

Inside Vancouver

Electric Cars - continued

By Budd Stanley published Jul 1, 2010

In preparation for EVs, the city amended its building code last year to require dedicated circuits for EV charging in single-family dwellings. In multi-family dwellings, 20 percent of parking spaces must provide charging capacity (the first such bylaw in North America). Bylaws have also been passed to make slow-moving neighbourhood EVs street legal. And the city is studying the viability of public charging stations.

Meanwhile, in cooperation with the automakers and the Society of Automotive Engineers, BC Hydro has developed infrastructure guidelines. Three levels of charging will be made available. Level 1 is a standard electrical cord connecting to a 110-volt outlet. Level 2 requires a professionally installed charger connected to a 220-volt outlet. And Level 3 specifies dedicated 440-volt charging stations in public areas for quick charging in the field. Each level requires a different connector, and standard connectors have been agreed upon. Other guidelines (such as building and safety codes, charging-station locations, signage, and the licensing of technicians) have also been established. Ideas still at the exploration stage include vehicle-to-grid technology, by which the electricity stored in EVs might be used to power the grid, or even one’s home, in the event of emergency.

I’ve test-driven just about every gas/electric hybrid out there—from the Prius to the Ford Fusion—and although they get more efficient by the year, they still produce harmful emissions. The Leaf, by contrast, is powered entirely by lithium-ion batteries. You can plug the car into an electrical outlet in your garage at night, and by morning have 160 kilometres of driving on tap, a range that meets the demands of 90 percent of Vancouverites.

While EVs are zero-emission vehicles, they do pollute, indirectly, when you consider the energy required to charge them. In the U.S., more than 50 percent of electricity is produced from coal, so loading the grid there with EVs would not be as environmentally efficient as it might appear. As B.C. works to be the first region in North America to achieve 100 percent clean energy, EVs charged here will actually produce zero emissions.

In May, Mayor Gregor Robertson announced a city partnership with the Rocky Mountain Institute and BCIT. Project Get Ready, as it’s called, is aimed at making Vancouver EV-ready within five years. As part of the “world’s greenest city” initiative, he hopes 15 percent of all new vehicles will be electric within 10 years.

My test drive in the Nissan? One small step for Van, one giant Leaf for Vankind. VM