EV advocacy, provincial style
Vancouver chapter has success in BC capital
VEVA President Harry Constatine charges his Bolt
Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) has been very involved in supporting legislation promoting sustainability on both the provincial and federal government levels, largely through its very active government relations committee.
“It’s quite an exciting time here,” said VEVA President Harry Constantine, pointing out that British Columbia has the highest rate of electric vehicle (EV) purchase in Canada at 17% of all new vehicles, and that the chapter’s success is reflected in this number.
In fact, one of VEVA’s most recent achievements was making sure that multi-unit residential buildings were part of British Columbia’s Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Regulation. This was recently approved by the Member Legislature (MLA) and the BC Minister of Transport.
“Now people in multi-unit buildings can benefit from the carbon credits for charging,” Constantine said, explaining that “We’ve had a mandate in BC on emissions with regard to carbon credits for energy providers since 2010. If you sell oil and gas, and you do business in BC, you have to meet the standards.”
Previous to the residential building efforts, the chapter supported a successful measure exempting used EVs from provincial sales tax.
VEDV members in the “My EV lets me…” video
Speaking for VEVA members
The chapter’s government relations committee, in fulfilling its mission to make certain its members are represented at both the provincial and federal levels, also becomes involved in energy projects.
“In Canada, hydro is our main energy source because it’s so abundant,” Constantine said. “Our electricity provider is BC Hydro and we watch them very closely.”
“We have a lot of emission targets in this country, and a lot of good incentives, but we don’t have all the mandates we need,” Constantine continued. “We have a longterm mandate of 100% zero emissions on light duty vehicle sales by 2035, but we don’t have the mandates we need to get there. That’s something we would really like to see legislated in Victoria and in Ottawa. We need to start getting serious about our goals.”
Because opportunities for public comment are not as available in Canada as they are in the U.S., the chapter’s advocacy comes in the form of letter writing as well as one-on-one contact with legislators. Additionally, efforts are supported by VEVA’s multimedia presentations, perhaps more sophisticated and greater in number than with most U.S. chapters. Such videos as Go Electric and My EV lets me… on the VEVA website feature impressive messaging.
Cross-border similarities
Like so many of the veteran EVA chapters in the U.S., VEVA membership was originally comprised of folks into DIY EV conversions, but now leans toward LEAF and Tesla owners.
Again like U.S. chapters today, “Not only have we changed our name from VEAA to VEVA, but we are definitely agnostic about the form of electric transport,” Constantine said. “Whether its electric trucks or electric bikes, we’re supportive of all electrification projects.”
“Of course, our biggest issue is charging infrastructure,” he continued. “When you drive the big highways to places like Prince George and Prince Rupert, you’ll find EV chargers. But as soon as you stray for more than a few miles from those main highways, it’s pretty sparse.”
“We’re just going to need more chargers and very soon,” Constantine emphasized. “The next move is to encourage private industry to come in.”
A winter drive did it
With a career in outdoor education, Constantine is a longtime supporter of environmental issues, but he did not become truly aware of EVs until he took a ski trip to Kamloops, BC.
“I saw a car charging at a fast charger; it was the first charger I’d seen,” he explained. “I began to suspect that driving four hours in a gas car to go skiing wasn’t making sense.”
“I started looking around and realized I could own an EV at the same cost as a gas vehicle and still be able to drive to the places I needed to go,” Constantine continued. “So, for me, going electric was both an environmentally and fiscally responsible move.”
Within a year of purchasing his Chevrolet Bolt, Constantine joined VEVA and became active. It wasn’t long before he was approached by the former chapter president to be on the board.
“He said it would be great to have a young voice on the board,” Constantine, who is 30, said. “It really is important to make sure all of this is handed down generationally if we’re ever going to make it all work.”