HIGHLIGHTS REPORT
II ANNUAL
WEST COAST December 05, ELECTRIC 2019, Richmond, B.C FLEETS SYMPOSIUM
Executive Summary ...... 4 Key Messages ...... 5 Sessions ...... 7 Welcome & Opening remarks ...... 8 Plug In BC (Dr. Pete Thimmaiah) ...... 8 Province of B.C. (Daniel Clancy) ...... 11 Session 1: Success Stories from Fleets ...... 12 Vancouver International Airport (Amanda Chow) ...... 12 District of North Vancouver (Monica Samuda) ...... 13 Vancouver Police Department (Rob Rothwell) ...... 13 City of Seattle (Philip Saunders) ...... 14 Keynote 1: Fleet Electrification Driven by Data ...... 15 Geotab Inc. (Charlotte Argue) ...... 15 Breakout Session 1: How to Enhance the Adoption of Medium and Heavy-duty Electric Vehicles into Fleets?...... 17 Zero Emission Vehicles: Ideal Specifications ...... 18 Rate of Replacement ...... 20 Engaging Fleet Managers ...... 20 Increasing the Supply of Clean Medium & Heavy-Duty Vehicles in BC ...... 21 Zero-Emission Vehicle Display ...... 24 Green Power Motor Company (Fraser Atkinson) ...... 26 The Lion Electric Co. (Yves Provencher) ...... 26 Daimler Trucks North America (Alexander Voets) ...... 27 Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America (Larry Smith) ...... 27 Session 3: Infrastructure and Charging Solutions ...... 28 City of Vancouver (Amy Sidwell) ...... 28 ChargePoint (David Breault) ...... 28 Keynote 2: Best Practices for EV Planning and Infrastructure .. 30 BC Hydro (Jason Scultety) ...... 30 Breakout Session 2: Policy Options for Fleet Electrification...... 31 Session 4: Electrifying the Service Sector ...... 35 West Coast Sightseeing/Novex (Rob Safrata) ...... 35 Tesla Tours (Kevin Belanger) ...... 35 Ambulance Paramedics of BC (David Hollingworth) ...... 36 Closing Remarks ...... 37 Fraser Basin Council (Neil MacEachern) ...... 37
2 Who Attended? ...... 38 Attendee Satisfaction Report ...... 41 About Us ...... 42
3 Executive Summary
WEST COAST ELECTRIC FLEETS
West Coast Electric Fleets (WCEF) is an initiative of the Pacific Coast Collaborative (PCC), a joint initiative of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (B.C.) to accelerate a vibrant, low- carbon economy on the West Coast. A key element of the PCC plan is to “take actions to expand the use of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), aiming for more than 10 percent of new vehicle purchases in public and private fleets by 2020.” WCEF engages fleet partners from B.C. California, Oregon, and Washington State. Partners pledge to contribute to the goal of expanding the use of ZEVs by sharing challenges, needs, lessons, and resources. Join the WCEF pledge, to incorporate ZEVs into your fleet, by signing at http://www.westcoastelectricfleets.com/fleet-pledge/
B.C. WEST COAST ELECTRIC FLEETS SYMPOSIUM
The B.C. West Coast Electric Fleets Symposium aims to bring together representatives from public/private fleets, manufacturers, suppliers,
4 and other stakeholders to explore and discuss challenges and opportunities related to expanding electrification of B.C. fleets.
The West Coast Electric Fleets Symposium is hosted by Plug In BC , a program of the Fraser Basin Council and funded by the Province of B.C., as a part of CleanBC initiatives to fight climate change by supporting the reduction of provincial greenhouse gas emissions. The first WCEF symposium was held on November 28th, 2018, where over one hundred attendees discussed the barriers for the fleet electrification in B.C. and identified several solutions to those barriers. At the second WCEF Symposium, there were over two hundred participants, including representatives from local governments, public/private fleets, ZEV manufacturers, electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) installers and, environmental and sustainability coordinators. Also, participants represented education, utility, service, fleet management, and shared mobility sectors of the industry. The sessions explored successful fleet electrification, vehicle availability and infrastructure requirements. Manufacturers and contractors were invited to display their charging products/services or vehicles and make connections with attendees. In addition to the panel discussions and tradeshow, there were two table breakout discussions focusing on barriers/solutions and policy options for adoption of ZEVs.
Key Messages • Telematics and business analysis tools will allow businesses to make the right choice for their use case • Comprehensive and continued support is needed to guide fleets through infrastructure installation and vehicle purchasing • Cost remains a major barrier to electrification with many looking for greater incentives for purchasing and manufacturing vehicles • There is a lack of educational resources to teach fleet managers and drivers about ZEVs and what models are currently available
5
Disclaimer: The following is our best attempt to capture what was presented and discussed during the II B.C. WCEF Symposium. There may be errors or misinterpretations, in which we (Plug In BC) take full responsibility. We recognize there are additional vital messages, barriers, and solutions for fleet ZEV adoption that were not discussed during the symposium, and therefore will be missing from this report. Further research is recommended to develop a more comprehensive understanding of barriers to ZEV adoption in B.C. Also, the finding in this report may not reflect the views of all participating organizations.
6 Sessions
Session Presenters Welcome & Plug In BC (Pete Thimmaiah) introduction Province of BC (Daniel Clancy) Session 1: Vancouver Airport Authority (Amanda Chow) Success stories District of North Vancouver (Monica Samuda) from fleets Vancouver Police Department (Rob Rothwell) City of Seattle (Philip Saunders) Keynote Geotab Inc. (Charlotte Argue) address Table break How to enhance the adoption of medium and heavy duty out: electric vehicles into fleets? Vehicle display Tour of vehicles in parking lot tour Session 2: Green Power Motor Company (Fraser Atkinson) Supplier & The Lion Electric Co. (Yves Provencher) buyer Daimler Trucks North America (Alexander Voets) connections Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America (Larry Smith)
Session 3: City of Vancouver (Amy Sidwell) Infrastructure ChargePoint (David Breault) and charging Ballard (Catharine Reid) solutions Keynote BC Hydro (Jason Scultety) address Table break Policy options for fleet electrification. out: ChargePoint (Suzanne Goldberg) CUTRIC (Aditya Ramesh) Zen Clean Energy Solutions (Jeff Grant) Session 4: West Coast Sightseeing/Novex (Rob Safrata) Electrifying the Tesla Tours (Kevin Belanger) Service Sector Translink (Dom Repta) Ambulance Paramedics of BC (David Hollingworth) Closing remarks Fraser Basin Council (Neil MacEachern)
7 Welcome & Opening remarks
Plug In BC (Dr. Pete Thimmaiah) Program Lead, Zero-Emission Fleets, Fraser Basin Council
Pete welcomed all 230 participants from various sectors of the zero-emission vehicle ecosystem. He laid out the intent of the day, which was to tackle the challenges and barriers of fleet electrification, primarily focused on medium and heavy- duty vehicle adoption.
In British Columbia (B.C.), the transportation sector contributes nearly forty percent of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On-road commercial vehicles (CVs) such as medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses, which are used in fleets, account for more than 45% of these transportation-related GHG emissions. Zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) play a central role in the transition toward a sustainable transportation future due to the significant opportunity they provide in reducing GHG and air pollutant emissions. Pete presented some of the key findings from the Plug In BC research. Pete presented some of the key findings from the Plug In BC research. The research included an online survey that was conducted to understand the barriers B.C. fleets were facing. The findings included answers from over 200 respondents across B.C.
8 a. What is the biggest barrier to electrifying your fleet that you face?
b. What kind of support could help you overcome those barriers?
9 c: What is the participant's dream electric vehicle?
What needs to happen to accelerate the uptake of zero-emission vehicles? What are the key barriers in the way?
Three goals of the symposium were:
1) to learn from each other and hear about B.C. fleet success stories; 2) to identify the barriers to electrification; 3) to identify solutions to these barriers.
ZEV uptake is growing rapidly, and fleets play a significant role in the transition. ZEVs bring many benefits to fleet operations, but obstacles still exist. Attendees were encouraged to actively participate in this symposium to explore what needs to happen to accelerate this transition. The outcomes will help inform future program direction for the Fraser Basin Council, the Province of B.C. and the West Coast Electric Fleets initiative.
10 Province of B.C. (Daniel Clancy) Policy Analyst, Clean Transportation, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
The lack of knowledge of medium and heavy-duty ZEV performance was emphasised during the Province’s opening remarks. To address this barrier, the Province will mobilize the deployment of commercial zero-emission vehicles in targeted applications, to generate valuable information that can be disseminated with the rest of the Province. This information will allow fleet managers and other stakeholders to deploy zero-emission vehicles in the roles they are best suited to in the short term in order to speed up the transition over the long term. In Budget 2019, the Province has committed $10 million towards the deployment of medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles to support the accelerated adoption and learning opportunities.
Click here for Daniel’s presentation slides
11 Session 1: Success Stories from Fleets
Vancouver International Airport (Amanda Chow) Environmental Analyst
• Vision to be a world class hub of sustainability;
• Four goal environmental plan includes reducing emissions by switching to alternative fuel vehicles;
• Currently operating 11 electric shuttle buses which carry 100 passengers each; four charging stations can charge the vehicles in 90 mins.
Click here for Amanda’s presentation slides
12 District of North Vancouver (Monica Samuda) Energy Manager,
• District of North Vancouver operates a small fleet; just added 17 new vehicles;
• Current vehicles have short run times; require a large number of small cars;
• Electric vehicles required IT technicians;
• Utilize smart charging as well as increasing energy efficiency of buildings to not increase peak energy usage;
• Insurance was not included in business case analysis.
Click here for Monica’s presentation slides
Vancouver Police Department (Rob Rothwell) Manager Fleet Operations
• VPD operates 20 EVs, 22 charging stations; department uses 850,000 L/year of gas;
• Difficult to replace patrol cars with EVs, easier to replace fleet vehicles which remain idle overnight;
• Challenge in getting employees to adopt EVs; women were using them less;
• Education helps people who do not use them because of lack of understanding.
Click here for Rob’s presentation slides
13 City of Seattle (Philip Saunders) Green Fleet Program Manager
• Green Fleet Action Plan – increasing rapid electrification;
• Availability and cost of vehicles, cost of charging infrastructure were barriers;
• Analysis of use of vehicles gives ability to right size cars; switch out SUVs for sedans;
• Purchasing priority: battery electric vehicles (BEVs) 1st, then try plug in hybrids (PHEVs);
• Seattle looking to electrify entire city, big upfront cost with long term payoff.
Click here for Philip’s presentation slides
14 Keynote 1: Fleet Electrification Driven by Data
Geotab Inc. (Charlotte Argue) Senior Manager Fleet Electrification
How fleets are using data to drive electrification:
• Change in mobility comes from four disruptive factors; Connected, electric, autonomous and, sharing;
• Vehicle telematics sends data to the cloud on GPS locations, on- board systems and environment;
• Data can be used to improve safety, productivity, compliance, management and expandability; all these factors make it easier for fleets to adopt EVs;
• Geotab telematics provide the data necessary to help fleet managers in suitability assessments and procurement recommendations.
Operating Electric • Key considerations for fleet managers in operating electric
o State of charge: do vehicles have enough charge?
15 o Charging and energy data: where are they charging, how much energy are they consuming, are drivers remembering to plug in?
o Vehicle performance: am I managing my vehicles and charging in an optimal way?
• Decision making should be data driven
• Vehicle size, miles and, driver training all impact overall efficiency
• Engage with experts and utilities early in electrification process
Click here for Charlotte’s presentation slides
16 Breakout Session 1: How to Enhance the Adoption of Medium and Heavy-duty Electric Vehicles into Fleets?
For the first breakout session of the event the focus was on the requirements and barriers to increase the uptake of ZEVs in public and private fleets across the province. The questions for this session were created to build on participant’s pre-event survey answers. Additionally, attendees were seated in tables according to their industry in order to collect more specific data on the needs of different sectors. The prompts for this session were as follows: 1) What are some of the technical specifications you are looking for in your ideal Zero Emission Vehicle?
17 2) Fleet Managers: What is your current turnover rate (replacement) and how might you change this as you adopt Clean Energy Vehicles?
Or
Non Fleet Managers: How can you better engage fleet managers in the work you are doing?
3) What advice would you give to the Province to increase supply of Clean Medium & Heavy-duty Vehicles in BC?
4) Pick 1-2 support actions that speak to your industry or business; Discuss how does this support address the barriers you are facing?
Zero Emission Vehicles: Ideal Specifications Vehicle options were listed as the number one barrier in fleet electrification in the pre-event survey. In order to understand the vehicle types missing or undersupplied in the market we posed the question of what features (range, style, accessories etc.) were important for the applications of their vehicles. The main desires of participants for electrified vehicles can be summarized as follows: • Faster charging capabilities as standard, swappable battery systems
• Standardized telematics system and compatibility with current aftermarket accessories
18 • New vehicle features such as auxiliary power supply for tools and equipment
• Batteries which are capable of >200-300km in winter and hilly conditions
• Capable of carrying heavy payloads and towing
• Electrified versions of existing light, medium and heavy duty van and truck styles
In addition to these common responses representatives from utilities were concerned with availability of servicing for electrified vehicles. Attendees from government organizations would like an extended battery warranty paired with a thermal management system while service sector members listed a minimum average range of 500km. Education and service sector members noted their main qualification for electrified models is meeting the operating features of their current internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. An industry missing from this event was shipping and goods transportation leading to a lack of demand in both our pre-event
19 survey and our session responses for heavy duty vehicles such as semi-tractor-trailer trucks.
Rate of Replacement In order to inform supply recommendations, it is important to understand the standard lifecycle of vehicles in the different industries present. In addition to ICE vehicles the participants were asked to include their opinion on the lifespan of ZEVs when they are incorporated to their fleets. Light duty vehicles currently have a lifespan of 7-10 years (based on participant’s response) with utilities’ vehicles being used for as short as 5 years and government vehicles being used for as many as 12 years. Medium and heavy duty vehicles had longer listed lifespans ranging from 12-15 years. Estimations for replacement of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) ranged from 8 to 12 years. The following were points mentioned by participants: • Car sharing vehicles age out of customer choice before reaching their maximum lifespan
• Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) could likely have a shorter lifespan compared to ICE vehicles
• Battery refresh programs could greatly extend the life of the vehicle past 10 years
• Technological innovation may make the vehicle obsolete sooner than its turnover age
• EVs may be better to replace at the end of the battery warranty
Engaging Fleet Managers While researchers and policy makers are studying and promoting electrification of transportation, fleet managers, businesses, and the public need to be aware of their options and adopt ZEVs to drive the change. Participants were asked how they could better engage with the fleet managers in the work they do towards fleet electrification.
20 • Incent adoption through upfront or point-of-sale payment of rebates
• Provide common business analysis/knowledge sharing tools (case studies, Return on Investments (ROIs), Total Cost of Ownership (TCOs))
• Provide educational resources, events and networking opportunities focused on ZEVs
• Increase electric vehicle (EV) technician training
• Include fleet managers in policy decisions
Increasing the Supply of Clean Medium & Heavy-Duty Vehicles in BC Availability of vehicles will quickly become a limiting factor for the future of clean transportation in BC if measures are not taken to increase this supply.
ZEV Fleet Mandate The current ZEV mandate in BC applies to only light duty vehicles and there was a wide consensus in participants at this workshop to extend this to the medium and heavy-duty vehicle categories as well. Attendees would like this mandate to include a percentage requirement of medium and heavy-duty vehicles in the province in addition to new zero emissions zoning in urban areas particularly prone to high emissions. Supply requirements from and bulk purchasing programs from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) were requested measures to ensure vehicles are available.
Funding A large barrier for manufacturers is cost of production and research., Participants listed incentives for OEMs to import vehicles or relocate manufacturing to BC or Canada for increasing the supply of vehicles. Additional funding measures included greater purchase incentives to
21 reflect the vehicle cost, service technician training grants and incentives for municipalities and private groups to increase the spread of charging infrastructure. Participants listed a high emissions tax as a possible source of funds for these incentive programs.
Communications/Education Participants were interested in more outreach to fleet managers and local government staff including conferences, experience based events and information sessions. To better inform their decisions, participants listed business analysis and knowledge sharing tools in high frequency. Some of the tools they would like available are TCO, ROI and Cost- Benefit estimators as well as real data from fleets which have begun their transition to clean energy vehicles.
Industry and Business Support The final discussion of the first breakout session centered around finding avenues of support for fleets in British Columbia. From the pre-event survey the top four requests for more support were higher incentives, charging support, business analysis tools and vehicle options. These mirror much of what was already discussed and is also reflected by the answers provided in this discussion. The top responses were part of the following categories:
• Business Analysis/Knowledge Sharing,
• Funding,
• Government/ Utilities Support,
• Education/ Communication.
22 Similar to many of the other discussions, availability of business analysis tools including TCO, ROI and case studies was a primary request for support. In addition to these tools a less frequently listed support was a dedicated contractor to aid in the transition to ZEVs as a fleet advisor. Financial support was fairly consistent with the previous discussions and included manufacturer incentives, increasing buyer incentives and funding to increase charging infrastructure. With the increased charging infrastructure, participants listed more support and involvement of utilities providers to provide guidance and in creating a new rate structure specific to EV charging.
Consistency was the main point of support attendees requested of the Province. They would like to see leadership in ZEV adoption and alignment of messaging from different levels and branches of government. This support could include education on available medium and heavy-duty vehicles as well as communication about upcoming pilot projects or new funding opportunities.
23 Zero-Emission Vehicle Display
Tesla Model 3, courtesy of Tesla Canada Tesla Model 3, courtesy of Tesla Tours
EVT Motors’ Class 3 Electric Truck, courtesy of E- BYD C9, courtesy of West Coast Sightseeing Ltd. Motion Motor Corp.
Might E Truck, courtesy of Canadian Electric EVT Motors Logistics Van, courtesy of E-Motion Motor Corp.
24 Vehicles
Greenworks Commercial Zero Turn Mower, Volkswagen E-Golf, courtesy of Plug In BC courtesy of Celtic Distributors Ltd.
Greenworks Commercial CU800 UTV, courtesy of Electric Smart Fortwo Celtic Distributors Ltd.
25 Session 2: Supplier & Buyer
Coordination
Green Power Motor Company (Fraser Atkinson) CEO & Chairman • Currently producing EV Star (transit van), double decker bus, shuttle bus and, school bus; • EV Star platform can accommodate multiple vehicle bodies; • Public transit use down in US; likely due to ride hailing services; • Vehicles currently in use with Los Angeles (School District?), Paulo Alto School District, United Airlines.
Click here for Fraser’s presentation slides
The Lion Electric Co. (Yves Provencher) Senior Business Development Manager
• Lion has been producing school buses for 11 years; • Designed and built a dedicated mini electric bus platform, now have 200 electric school buses on the road; • Operate experience centres in Sacramento and New York; • First class 8 truck off production line Feb 2020;
26 • Partnerships to create vocational trucks (refuse vehicles, first responders, transit); • Lion gives support throughout process: education, funding, infrastructure and, training.
Click here for Yves’s presentation slides
Daimler Trucks North America (Alexander Voets) Sales and Marketing Manager, Commercial Electric Vehicles,
• Daimler makes Mercedes, SmartCars, school buses and trucks; • Currently have light and medium duty electric trucks; • Expecting heavy-duty truck to be available by end of 2021; • Working toward making vehicles for all route types; • Developing service centres to be available for when trucks hit the road.
Click here for Alexander’s presentation slides
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America (Larry Smith) Director of Fleet Operations
• Fuso is part of Daimler Trucks Asia; • eCanter, a medium-duty cargo truck, is currently being used by UPS; • The truck is a fully electrified version of popular Canter, and can carry 4000 kg, and has a 120 km radius.
Click here for Larry’s presentation slides
27 Session 3: Infrastructure and Charging Solutions
City of Vancouver (Amy Sidwell) Manager of Fleet and Manufacturing Services • City of Vancouver has a fleet of 1,850 vehicles; CO2 emissions have been reduced by 9% since 2007; • Green Fleet Plan o 1) Where possible replace vehicle with electrified model; o 2) All fuels to have higher proportion of renewables; o 3) Optimize the fleet (vehicle size and use); • Currently replacing 12 MHD vehicles with electric options; • Installing 12 charging stations, two Level 2 and 10 DCFC.
Click here for Amy’s presentation slides
ChargePoint (David Breault) Senior Manager Government and Utility Fleet Solutions • Consumers are 6x more likely to purchase an EV if they have workplace charging; • Smart charging uses algorithms and charging schedules to optimize fleet charging; • Santa Clara Valley Transit Case Study: Buses used customized charging according to their route;
28 • Variety of charging types and speeds are offered; higher isn’t always better.
Click here for David’s presentation slides
Ballard (Catherine Reid) Senior Marketing Specialist, Ballard • Hydrogen Fuel Cells have short refueling times, resilience in power outage, are optimal for long distances and, provide a faster path to decarbonization for coal/gas grids; • Fuel cell technology can be complementary to electric batteries; • Hydrogen is currently produced using natural gas but exploring renewable production options.
Click here for Catherine’s presentation slides
29 Keynote 2: Best Practices for EV Planning and Infrastructure
BC Hydro (Jason Scultety) Key Account Manager
• Key account management is a single point of contact for BC Hydro’s largest customers, • Clean BC programs allows B.C. to reduce GHG emissions via clean electricity, Best Practices for EV Planning and Infrastructure • Develop an EV roadmap o Collaboration between energy managers, fleet managers and facilities; o What does your data say your charging requirements will be? o Are you in an owned or leased building? Where will you charge? • Choose the right infrastructure o Think about your energy requirement, load profile, charging window and average charging per vehicle. o Engage with BC Hydro o Call early and often when preparing your fleet plan o BC Hydro has feasibility studies that help fleet managers to better understand how to put together their formal design applications. • Utility Rates o Overnight rate designed for customers who charge between 10 pm and 6 am,
30 o Demand transition rate designed for those who may need to charge during the day; no demand charge for 6-year period.
Click here for Jason’s presentation slides
Breakout Session 2: Policy Options for Fleet Electrification.
In the second table breakout session participants were asked questions provided by industry and researchers regarding current and future policy barriers. The questions are as follows:
• What is the role of government, utilities and the private sector in fleet electrification? How can government and utilities support businesses with their fleet investments?
Suzanne Goldberg, Director Public Policy, ChargePoint
• If you wanted to create a policy for transit and heavy-duty transport electrification as a system, be it for public or private fleets, what would you like baked in?
Aditya Ramesh, Project Manager: Electric Bus and Coach Bus, CUTRIC
• Is it more important to decarbonize or use renewable fuel sources?
31 Jeff Grant, Principal and Co-Founder, Zen Clean Energy Solutions
For this session, attendees were seated at mixed tables with representation from various sectors of the industry that included education, utility, service, charging solutions and infrastructure, manufacturing, fleet management, shared mobility, and governments. This was done to encourage dialogue between industries and create ideas that would be feasible from the different perspectives.
Role of Government, Utilities and Private Sector Participants were provided with the prompt “Transitioning our fleets to zero emission will require input and investment from Government, businesses and utilities” followed by the questions: “What is the role of government, utilities and the private sector in fleet electrification? How can government and utilities support businesses with their fleet investments?” From the answers provided the expected roles of these groups can be broken down to three main points each:
32 Government Utilities Private Sector Buyer and OEM Infrastructure capacity Prioritize high Incentives demand vehicles Provide clear policies Metering and usage rates Share data on and mandates on for fleets current electrification electrification Leadership and General support in Invest in guidance in vehicle electrification manufacturing and adoption innovation
In addition to these points certain answers were shared between them such as education, communication and data sharing.
Policy for Transit and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Electrification For the second exercise the participants were asked “If you wanted to create a policy for transit and heavy-duty transport electrification as a system, be it for public or private fleets, what would you bake in? For example, would it be funds, financing, a mixture of both? And what else needs to be included?” The responses to this question fit within a few broad categories: • Financial support,
• Fleet ZEV mandate,
• Education and guidance,
• Long term planning.
With cost being such a common barrier many responses included ideas on making purchasing more accessible. Financial support could include purchasing incentives, preferable interest rates for loans and financing as well as an increase in taxes or fees for heavily emitting vehicles.
33 These financial programs were listed as a requirement for a fleet ZEV mandate to be adopted, as well as clearly specified targets and steps to reach these targets. An area of concern from attendees with the possible adoption of targets is ensuring there are stipulations which will exempt vehicle models for which no zero emission alternative exists or which have delivery times that exceed the adoption window. With these kinds of specific policies in mind many also noted education and a willingness to provide guidance mandatory to the success of new programs. This education and guidance would span from consultations on program development to faster responses from government and utilities on queries for educational resources and answers to common questions. A key issue for policy around transit and heavy-duty vehicles appears to be terminology and the effects of using terms such as ‘electrification’ in place of zero emissions or low emissions. Reponses frequently specified support of using ‘adoption of zero emissions vehicles’ in place of ‘electrification’ to include hydrogen powered vehicles and other low carbon options such as plug-in hybrids.
Renewable Fuels or Decarbonization? When asked, “Is it more important to decarbonize or use renewable fuel sources?” the participants widely agreed that decarbonization should be the priority moving forward. Other responses include the following:
• Consider risk or use of other resources (ground water contamination, useful by-product);
• Momentum of EVs shouldn’t be slowed down to invest in something else;
• [We] need to lower energy consumption.
34 Session 4: Electrifying the Service Sector
West Coast Sightseeing/Novex (Rob Safrata) CEO • Currently operates two BYD electric tour buses;
• Longer range from the vehicles than predicted (312km vs. 250km);
• Concerns exist about the availability of parts and performance of the vehicles in the snow;
• Customers enjoy touring on an all-electric bus;
• Staff turnover has been reduced while using the electric buses.
Click here for Rob’s presentation slides
Tesla Tours (Kevin Belanger) Founder & Owner • Option for low impact private touring using Tesla electric vehicles, • Have seen operating cost reductions, • Maintenance has included replacing tires, wipers and a motor after 7 years.
Click here for Kevin’s presentation slides
35 Translink (Dom Repta) Senior Sustainability Advisor
Plan to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050; • Adopted battery electric buses for a pilot;
• Infrastructure includes 50kW charger for each bus in depot; 450kW pantograph chargers for enroute charging;
• Electric trolley buses likely to be phased out.
Click here for Dom’s presentation slides
Ambulance Paramedics of BC (David Hollingworth) Chairman, Environment and Climate Change Committee • Ambulances drive less than 10 km across Metro Vancouver between possible charge points;
• Offline chargers cost less up front, but connected chargers allow an organization to monitor and optimize who charges, how often they charge, and how much power is being delivered;
• Plan carefully for growth, as construction and installation typically cost much more than the actual charging equipment;
• Seek expert advice to support the planning process.
Click here for David’s presentation slides
36 Closing Remarks
Fraser Basin Council (Neil MacEachern) Program Manager of Sustainable Transportation
Make no bones about it – we are facing a tremendous challenge. The unpredictability of both human and atmospheric elements from climate destabilization pose a serious threat to global peace and prosperity. The decarbonization of every corner of our economy will be crucial to a safe planet for our children, and our children’s children. Transportation is, of course, one of our largest sources of emissions. But it is not an intractable one. There is nothing fundamental about transportation that implies fossil fuel, other than that’s how it’s been done for the last two centuries. In fact, there’s a strong argument against its use in an efficiency sense alone – after all, few of us would invest a dollar knowing we’d only get twenty-five percent of it back. Moving to zero-emissions vehicles is an opportunity – a giant slice of our emissions profile that we can put to bed with very low levelized marginal costs. However, we all in this room know it is not quite so simple as pulling out the credit card and having a ZEV fleet delivered. We work in complicated structures dominated by inertia and risk aversion (at least in the short term), and there is a strong incentive to keep externalities external. We need to challenge that. It is part of the human condition to overestimate our individual importance, but underestimate our ability to influence. Every one of us here is an influencer. It’s just that many of us don’t realize it. But we influencers – we influence those around us every day: We influence our staff, we influence our supervisors, we influence our neighbours, and we influence our competitors. Collectively, we influence governments and markets. Wield this influence. Encourage your organizations to look at the long game. Include the price of climate destabilization in your balance sheets. Demand OEMs to produce the ZEVs they have promised. Cast your ballots for those with legitimate policies to eliminate carbon pollution. And at every step of the way, plan the infrastructure now that will lead to a cleaner tomorrow.
37 The decarbonization of transportation is just one part of the battle, but it is a critical one. As people involved in fleet acquisition, management, infrastructure and policy, we have outsized influence in this sector. Let us not forget that. As we move forward, technology is certain to advance, prices will come down, and adoption will increase. But the actions taken today to get the ball rolling, from charging installation, to pilot vehicles, to behavioural change management, will better position us to capitalize on the opportunities coming. The future belongs to those who prepare for it. Let’s do it well.
Who Attended?
FortisBC Township of Langley British Columbia Institute of Technology Capilano University Unico Power Corporation ARC-TECH Services Inc. City of Burnaby City of New Westminster City of Delta Cerebral Strategy Group Tap&Go EV LTD. Siemens Canada Limited Surrey Schools Kal Tire Synergy Enterprises Vancouver Community College FVRD BERRY AND SMITH TRUCKING LTD. Foreseeson Technology Township of Esquimalt Evo Car Share JTB International (Tourland Travel) Government of Quebec Zeki Bagran Cubex Ltd City of Burnaby Plugzio Axiomec Engineering BCAA Metro Vancouver Regional District City of Penticton TELUS Ross Strategic Hitachi Capital Canada BC Hydro Vimar Equipment 7 Seas Fish Company AES Engineering British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. UBC Jim Pattison Lease SFU PH Technologies UPS Canada Ltd. Will Emo Cascadia Partners City of North Vancouver FP Innovations CESSI AES Engineering Ltd.
38 Technical Safety BC Metro Vancouver City of Delta ICBC LeadingAhead Energy Surrey Schools BCAA New Car Dealers Association of BC Washington State Office of Minority Women Building Committee Business Enterprise School District No. 36 (Surrey) City of Chilliwack City of Kelowna TYCROP Trailers BC Oil & Gas Commission Tap&Go EV LTD. District of Squamish City of Nanaimo City of North Vancouver Pacific Northwest Transportation Services City of Surrey Pacific Northwest Transportation Services UBC City of Campbell River Commercial Truck Equipment Corp. SALUC Group Inc Cullen Western Star Trucks Ltd. Clean Energy Canada The Silent Gardener Ltd. City of Delta Modo City of Burnaby Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks Canada Modo Thompson Rivers University Evo Car Share Houle Electric City of Burnaby FPInnovations AES Engineering Ltd. Community Energy Association Resort Municipality of Whistler Powertech Labs Inc. Simon Fraser University Electrical Joint Training Committee Paul Forsyth City of Richmond Octaform Cielo Electric Ltd Portable Electric Dieseltech Truck Repair ARI Technical Safety BC West Vancouver Transit Blue Bus Canadian Electric Vehicles Envirotech Electric Vehicles Inc. EVBC Solutions Shared Use Mobility Company Inc BC Transit Township of Langley
City of New Westminster City of Victoria ARI E-Motion RAM Consulting E-Motion Motor Corp Capital Regional District Synergy Enterprises
39 Surrey School District Capital Regional District SFU City of Vancouver City of Courtenay Village of Harrison Hot Springs New Flyer Industries Platinum Pro-Claim Restoration ABB Powertech Labs SCRAP-IT
40 Attendee Satisfaction Report
All participants rated the workshop as either excellent or good. 70% of the respondents said excellent and 30% of the respondents termed it as good.
41 About Us
Plug In BC is a program of the Fraser Basin Council and works in collaboration with government, industry, academic institutions, EV owners, NGOs and utilities to advance the uptake of electric vehicles in British Columbia.
Plug In BC provides a central source for information on programs and initiatives that are supporting the electric vehicle market, including:
• Access to incentives, • Support for fleets, • Support for first-time EV owners, • Opportunities to experience electric, and • Information about charging stations.
Plug In BC is a partner of the West Coast Electric Fleets initiative.
For More Information, contact:
Pete Thimmaiah, Ph.D. Program Lead, Zero-Emission Fleets Initiative Fraser Basin Council T: 604.488.5365 E: [email protected] 1st Floor, 470 Granville St. Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1V5
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