The following letter was sent to BC Ferries and filed with the Driftwood for publication.
BY CAROLE EYLES
I am shocked and dismayed by the recent announcement that non-functioning electric vehicles will no longer be allowed on BC Ferries. I understand the concern about fires but this is not the way to deal with that concern.
The Canadian government has been promoting electric vehicles for many years in order to reduce carbon in the atmosphere and many of us have followed that advice as being based in science. We supported the government and put our money where we were told it would be most beneficial. A lot of us live on the Gulf Islands on the west coast of B.C. We are now being told if our car breaks down we cannot get it fixed. There are no dealerships based in the islands and few to no mechanics trained to repair these highly technologized vehicles. What are we supposed to do? Suddenly a very valuable and expensive vehicle is worthless.
I recently had to have my 2018 Ioniq EV towed off Salt Spring Island for repair. The issue was with a brake sensor. There was no issue with the battery but the car did need to be towed. Your current policy would have been a disaster for me.
In fact, your issue is not with electric cars but with lithium-ion batteries. And I would suggest that electric bikes are far more likely to cause a fire as their batteries are easily replaced by after-market and cheaper batteries that are less reliable. This is noted along with considerable advice on how to accommodate electric vehicles in a U.K. transport ministry document titled MGN 653 (M) Amendment 1 Electric Vehicles Onboard Passenger Roll-on-roll-off Ferries and in an American Bureau of Shipping document.
The problem needs to be resolved, but I would suggest that investigating and promoting appropriate fire suppression strategies for all lithium-ion batteries would be a much wiser approach. We all have fire extinguishers in our homes and many also carry them in combustion engine vehicles, which are actually several times more likely to catch fire than electric ones.
How hard can it be for a ferry, sitting in water, to have access to enough water to extinguish a lithium-ion fire? This is the most efficient strategy listed by the above-noted agencies.
EV factories are not bursting into flames. Neither are lithium battery manufacturers. There clearly are strategies that can be used on ferries. Please take the proactive, positive approach and help us all live safer lives rather than condemning those of us who followed government advice and happen to live on islands.