Report warns B.C. infrastructure not ready for ambitious zero-emissoin vehicle sales targets

It doesn’t take long to spot an electric vehicle, either on the road or parked recharging. With about 20% of the new car market, BC leads the country in 0 emission vehicle sales by 20-30. Automakers are being told they will have to sell 90% EVs in this province. All of this can be undertaken, but can it be undertaken in this accelerated time frame? According to a report released by Energy Futures, there are serious questions about whether BC will have enough power. According to the research, by 20-30 BC could need another 2700 GW hours of electricity just to power E VS, and by 2040 that number jumps to 9700 GW hours, roughly the output of two sightsee dams. Despite a recent call for power a demand forecasters say BC Hydro could have difficulty meeting. So we are importing increasing amounts of electricity into our province, and much of the electricity we import does come from fossil fuel generation. In addition to the raw power needed, the report highlights a lack of charging infrastructure. BC has prioritized the installation of 10,000 charging spaces, but the report says the number needed could be 40,000 by 2030 and 90,010 years later with all the charging stations. That’s going to make it even more challenging for BC Hydro to to upgrade the substations, additional Transformers, upgrade local transmission lines, etcetera. BC Hydro imported a record amount of electricity in 2023 and according to data, is on pace to do so again this year. Despite the challenges, the government says these targets are achievable. We have more energy coming online, of course with Site C We have the call for power, which is going to add more renewables into the grid and that accounts for the sales targets that we have. The report suggests BC instead of sales targets adopt an overall emission standard. Aaron MacArthur, Global News.