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Draft bylaw will allow the low-speed vehicles to be driven freely there. The City of Oak Bay, just a hop away from Victoria, is expected to become the first Canadian city to unleash slow-moving electric cars onto its streets.
For a town not exactly known for its land-speed records, this speedy push to go electric underscores the fact that conditions may finally be ripe for an electric-car comeback.
"We're trying to say let's not block new technology. Let's allow new technology to be encouraged. And we're not going to stand in its way,'" said Oak Bay Mayor Christopher Causton.
The draft bylaw, which is expected to pass before council tomorrow, will allow low-speed electric vehicles to be driven freely throughout the mostly residential Oak Bay.
While electric vehicles have been around since the 19th century, it's taken a "perfect storm" of high gas prices, the carbon tax and concerns about global warming to save them from the brink of extinction.
The Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) has seen membership double to 200 over the past three months, and hits to its website have tripled.
Meanwhile, B.C.'s best-known electric car converter, Randy Holmquist of Vancouver Island, says sales of electric-car conversion kits have shot up so fast he "can barely keep up."
And last month, the City of Vancouver approved a new bylaw that requires new homes to include plug-ins for electric cars.
"I do believe there will be a rapid transformation to using electric cars," says Jane Sterk, leader of the B.C. Green Party. "It's exciting Oak Bay is taking the initiative."
Proponents say B.C.'s cheap and relatively clean sources for the energy (85 per cent comes from water and the balance from natural gas) make going electric the logical choice.
That said, last week's massive power failure in downtown Vancouver is a stark reminder that the province's power infrastructure is in need of a major overhaul and would likely need retooling for a widespread switch to battery-powered vehicles.
The major incentive, of course, is that electric cars have no emissions and require no gas. They run on electricity stored in a rechargeable battery. But for decades they've been dismissed, mostly because of their image of slow speed and limited range.
And much of that remains true, in a sense. While technology has advanced to the point where all-electric cars such as the Tesla Roadster have enough juice to compete with even the most powerful sports cars, they remain prohibitively expensive.
For the average joe, the low-speed variety (with speeds topping at 40 km/h) is still the most attainable. However, despite their limitations, the B.C. government still believes there is a place for these little green cars.
Victoria recently relaxed provincial legislation surrounding their use in the hope they will be adopted in small cities such as Oak Bay, resort communities like Harrison Hot Springs, university campuses and even downtown Vancouver, said Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon.
In Oak Bay, it remains to be seen whether residents will really turn electric -- especially since there is one glaring obstacle.
Unless its neighbouring municipalities impose a similar bylaw allowing the vehicles on roads with a posted speed limit of 50 km/h, Oak Bay risks becoming an electric-car island, with its drivers stopped at the border. "The question is whether people will actually say, 'I only need a car locally,'" said Causton.
The new legislation implemented in June allows low-speed electric vehicles on any B.C. road with a speed limit of 50 km/h -- but only if the municipality agrees.
Without city approval, they can only be driven on roads with a maximum speed limit of 40 km/h, making them highly impractical for urban driving.
In the face of such restrictions, city dwellers have sought other options, such as electric-car conversions.
Once the domain of hobbyists, clubs in the Lower Mainland are now getting the attention of drivers feeling skewered at the pump.
"It's just exploding. We've had a tremendous amount of interest," says Don Chandler, president of VEVA.
As a sign of the times, John Stonier, an accountant and VEVA spokesman, is even yanking the internal combustion engine from his Porsche Boxster for an electric one.
"It's a beautiful machine," he admits. "But very expensive burning up gasoline."
With the right car parts -- and the help of some friends -- Stonier believes his gas-guzzling Porsche will have just as much muscle running on battery.
"The technology's all here -- we've had it for a 100 years," he says. "Now with the advent of lithium batteries we've got the power to compete with gas cars." lsin@theprovince.come
Lena Sin, The Province
Published: Sunday, July 20, 2008
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