Owning an electric car in Northern BC became more affordable after new rebates were announced by the Fraser-Basin Council and Plug in BC.
The province is putting aside over $1.8 million as part of its Clean Energy Vehicle Program.
Program Manager, Charlotte Argue says three different rebates are available.
“One is for single-family homes or duplexes and they can get a rebate on the purchase of a Level 2 charger for their home or in their garage and the other option is for people who live in condos or strata buildings,”
The single-family rebate covers 75% of costs, up to $750 while the multi-unit one also covers 75% of costs, up to $4,000.
For the first time ever, a rebate for Workplaces will cover 50% of the costs, up to $4,000 for any Level 2 stations installed.
The use of electric cars is still picking up steam in places like Prince George, but the additional charging stations should improve those numbers.
“It’s not yet that feasible for people to do long distance travel into the region but for people who live in the area and want to switch to electric, this will give them the opportunity to make sure they have access to electric charging either at their home or at work.”
Is an electric vehicle in your future? Plug in BC has new incentives for charging stations – at home and work: https://t.co/LXhKBnQFqy pic.twitter.com/CkYAXnG0Q5
— Fraser Basin Council (@FraserBasin) March 7, 2018
The idea of owning an electric vehicle in the province has steadily grown in the past few years as BC’s grid is 98% clean energy, meaning significant emissions reductions when switching from gas to electric.
It costs EV drivers about $5 to fully charge between 150 to 300 kilometeres of travel on a full battery.
“More models are now available so more car makers are starting to bring more electric car options whether it would be a plug-in hybrid or fully electric and the ranges of these vehicles are also getting longer and the reason is more exposure to these electric cars and if you’ve ever have come across someone with an electric car they are typically quite happy about and quite happy to tell everyone else about the benefits of an electric car whether its the better acceleration to lower fuel costs.”
There are over 8,000 electric cars in BC.