The following is an article written by a Transition Salt Spring – EV Group co-founder. The group is also hosting a holiday gathering at the newly opened Mateada Cocktail Restaurant on Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. (See ad below.)
By JIM STANDEN
Transition SS
The role of the Transition Salt Spring – EV Group is to encourage vehicle owners to join the growing trend of driving electric vehicles rather than gasoline or diesel-fuelled vehicles. We know that over 300 owners have already done so.
The timing and reasons for shifting could not be better. Have you checked the current price of gasoline and servicing costs? Electricity is much cheaper and the absence of oil changes, engine tune-ups and less servicing is nice too. And of course, every EV is a tiny soldier helping the challenge of reducing emissions that have contributed to a changing climate that is yielding heat domes, higher-intensity wind storms, wildfires and biblical scale flooding.
The EV Group is now analyzing the role of passenger vehicles in making the transition to a lower carbon future. Currently, passenger vehicles account for about 72 per cent of all vehicles on Salt Spring.
To achieve a 50 per cent reduction of passenger vehicle emissions by 2030 over those in 2007 (meeting the goal documented in the Salt Spring Island Climate Action Plan 2.0) will require about 3,400 more battery electric vehicles on Salt Spring. That is the challenge islanders face.
How did we determine this? The EV Group statistics team accessed the Natural Resources Canada database for fuel economy and GHG emissions for gasoline/diesel vehicles each year and the ICBC vehicle registration statistics. We were fortunate to have the results of a survey the EV Group conducted in 2017, which concluded the average EV driver on Salt Spring annually travels an average 10,000 km. Then we projected the impact of future growth of EVs.
EV Group members believe it is paramount that we track the island’s progress towards emission reduction goals at regular intervals to assess if we are on track, behind or, hopefully, ahead. During 2021, we calculate that at least 80 more Salt Spring residents need to switch to electric vehicles.
We have chosen annual reporting to align with available data sources and will be able to monitor our progress toward the emission target each year.
Our full report is at: https://www.ssiev.ca/ghg-fleet-calculation.
Want more information? www.ssiev.ca or email me at jstanden@ucalgary.ca.