Drive Electric Victoria

Buying your first EV should be less taxing and the BCGreens offer a way to make that so. I'm a recovering car nut. I've watched the car biz for about a half ce...ntury. (GAWD! Did I just type that?) It seems to me that the biggest part of the car market in BC is the used car segment in part because our climate fosters longevity of our four-wheeled friends. As an EV advocate I think we can get the greatest number of people off fossil fuels and into zero emission battery electric cars by facilitating sales in used EVs. Cars often find 3 or 4 homes over their lifetime so what we do to make electric vehicles more compelling gets us 3 to 4 times the return on our investment compared to only boosting new EV sales. Of the 3.9 Million light vehicles registered in BC in 2019, about 30,000 were EVs. Of the 208,629 new cars sold about 9% were EVs. All of this to say that the number of EVs on our roads in BC is growing. So it seems to me that if the used EV market was to experience a turnover of "previously enjoyed" units as they reach the typical trade in age of 3 to 8 years, it could trigger a surge in new model sales, with existing EVers trading up for newer toys. But if people aren't ready to buy the used ones based on price reluctance this next wave might fail to materialize as fully as we need it to in this climate emergency. So how could we give would-be used EV buyers a nudge while rewarding early adopters for their service to the movement? Recently the new leader of the BCGreens articulated the party's intentions to forego the Provincial Sales Tax on used EVs. There's a great untapped climate action opportunity in this approach in harmony with the existing new EV incentives The zero PST approach would do more for more of us and would cost us (our government) nothing to implement! Eliminating the sales tax on used EVs would not be a budget line item for the BC government, just an empty space on the purchase agreement at the time of registration. EV sales staff would benefit from the price competitiveness of used EVs enabling them to close deals more quickly and the lower total purchase price would give private used EV sellers an edge in the market too, enabling them to move on to their next EV. Obviously, the first time EV owner would get a better deal too. Removing the PST on used EVs, as proposed by the BCGreens, will accelerate the expansion of the EV fleet in BC at a time when our public cash is needed to support other programs to help families through the pandemic. Many still need to get to around to keep their household functioning, with reduced income and irregular schedules which are not supported by transit, so an EV (that runs on 1/6th the energy costs and virtually no maintenance costs) to replace the Ranger or Minivan might be the key to their domestic harmony for the foreseeable future. Another way to help working families transition off fossil fuels.

EV owners shouldn’t have to defend ourselves against bad energy policies. Greens get what’s going on are are speaking out. The electrical energy from site c was never meant for you and me. Just the bill for building it was. Our cars should and could be powered by widespread solar and wind not more unaffordable projects like Site C.

Drive change. Don't fly!

Why you should be wary of auto companies that dabble instead of dive deep into building EVs.

Giving up flying as a climate action? Check this out road trip fans! EVs that go the distance. https://pluginamerica.org/which-electric-vehicles-have-th/

Glad to see a marketing push on these!