The need more electricity in an expanding EV market
Cortes Currents
English - May 28, 2024 12:42 - 2 minutes - 5.14 MBNews cortes island discovery islands quadra food security energy indigenous nations Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - British Columbia is feeling the strain of a rapidly expanding EV market.
On January 11, 2024, BC Hydro stated there are more than 150,000 EVs on the province’’s roads. While It is more difficult to access local data, ICBC figures show that in 2022 there were 11 EVS registered on Cortes Island, 19 in Quathiaski Cove, 172 in Powell River, 190 in Campbell River, 228 in Comox, and 370 in Courtenay.
In addition to being hailed as a partial solution to the climate crisis, an increasing number of drivers find they prefer EVs to gas cars. 96% of the EV owners who responded to a BCAA survey last year stated they found EVs to be more affordable and intend to purchase another in the future.
There are currently about 5,000 EV chargers in the province and Clean BC set a goal of 10,000 chargers by 2030.
A report by Energy Futures suggests that four times this number may be needed.
There will also be a need for more electrical generation to service the new electric vehicles.
BC Hydro states, “We're predicting there will be around 330,000 EVs on B.C. roads by 2030. This is estimated to add an additional 1,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity load per year.”
To which the Energy Futures report responds, “Meeting the minimum new vehicle sales targets will require approximately 2,700 GWh of added electricity by 2030, about half the annual production of the Site C Dam. By 2040, this requirement will grow to 9,700 GWh or equivalent to two Site C Dams.”
Image credit: Screenshot from CleanBC website