RE: B.C.Right in my home town
Derek Spalding, Daily News
Published: Saturday, May 01, 2010Nanaimo could be on the leading edge of turning its vehicle fleet into clean energy if council members can get some additional funding from senior levels of government.
The city wants to add four electric cars to its fleet of vehicles by 2012 and councillors will have a chance to discuss the proposal at Monday's finance meeting.
City staff recommend applying to the B.C. Government's Innovative Green Energy Fund to collect one-third of the estimated $69,000 price tag for each vehicle.
Ford and Azure Dynamics created the Transit Connect Electric light freight vehicle and want to introduce 100 units to the province over the next two years. City staff recommend buying up to six of the vans that can be used for at least a full day's work. They would reduce the 2,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions the city's fleet emits each year.
The vehicle charges within eight hours with a 240-volt outlet, which is comparable to a kitchen stove.
"It's important to be on the leading edge of getting these into the system," said Mike Hacking, the city's fleet manager. "We are going have to reduce our carbon footprint, which everyone will be paying for."
The transportation committee recommended the purchase of the vehicles that can go 130 kilometres per charge, only if the city can obtain one-third of the funding from the provincial government, according to Coun. Bill Holdom.
The Ford Connect vehicles use .088 tonnes of GHG per year, compared to four tonnes a year in the existing gasoline engines used by the city. Approximate energy costs come to $2,722 for the Connect, compared to $$18,440 for gasoline vehicles. Charging stations could cost $800, but carbon taxes on gasoline vans cost $1,000 in carbon taxes.