Phase two of B.C.’s Clean Energy Vehicle program will include $7.5 million in point-of-sale incentives for electric and hydrogen cell vehicles, Energy Minister Bill Bennett announced Monday (March 23) ahead of the opening of the Vancouver International Autoshow.
According to the minister, phase one of the program supported the sale of 915 electric cars and the development of over 1,000 charging stations in the province the result of which was approximately 57,000 tonnes of direct emission reductions.
Bennett said the province’s third consecutive balanced budget is how it’s able to afford to distribute a total of $10.6 million over the next three years to support the sale of development of clean energy vehicles.
The largest portion of that budget, $7.5 million, is going towards incentives for buying or leasing an electric vehicle, where up to $5,000 will be offered for plug-in hybrids and battery electrics and up to $6,000 for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
In addition, B.C.’s Scrap-It Program announced Monday it would provide those who retire their year 2000 or older cars up to $3,000 towards the purchase of a new electric car.
The province is also budgeting $1.59 million of those funds for creating more charging and hydrogen fuelling infrastructure in the province, $1 million for commercial fleet purchasing incentives, and $500,000 for “research, training, and public research on clean energy transportation technology.”
The minister acknowledged that the higher cost of purchase on electric cars as well as the more limited driving range can hold people back from making the jump and said the second phase of the program is designed to combat those concerns.
According to David Marshall, executive director of the Fraser Basin Council, 550 public charging stations have been installed across the province. About 350 level 2 stations are tracked and charging sessions doubled at those stations from August 2013 to August 2014, he said.
“It’s clear that expanding on B.C.’s network of charging stations can help make all electric travel feasible,” Marshall said.
