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Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

driving.ca

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Re: Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

#31

Post by giantg2 »

zeryx wrote: post #21
giantg2 wrote: post #12

This seems misguided to me. One of the biggest benefits to an EV is not having to go to a gas station. Most people can charge at home for their typical needs. Next, it makes sense to put then at a person's work, then at stores or public parking. And of course there needs to be charging infrastructure on highway gas stations and/or rest stops. Making all gas stations, especially urban ones, pay a fine for not having c…

Most people in Canada don't have a home, they rent - especially in BC.

If they rent, where do they park at that residence? That's where it makes sense to charge. How many of the renters without parking have a car?

If it's really true that "Most people in Canada" don't have a home, then do you really think that the 66 gas stations in Vancouver can accommodate all those people?

Re: Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

#32

Post by closeparen »

Gas stations sell gas but also the use of land. I doubt the economics are still going to work out when drivers are staying for 45+ minutes. EV charging likely needs higher value activities attached, like shopping, to subsidize the parking.

Re: Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

#33

Post by apike »

foobarian wrote: post #7

Given it's Vancouver couldn't they crank up the property taxes instead? Might relieve some of the real estate pressure coming from second-home owners as well - win-win!

Vancouver could certainly increase property taxes across the board – a very divisive issue with strong support in some corners and vociferous opposition in others – but the city doesn't have the authority to adjust property taxes in special cases, for example for properties that don't provide EV charging. That would require a legal change by the province.

Re: Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

#34

Post by ResNet »

> Gas stations would be required to provide 50 kilowatts of charging power — enough for one DC fast charger.

Convenience is greatly sacrificed if only one charger is installed — it'll be a gamble if your local gas station has their charger free, etc., which makes planning on when to charge tricky. As many gas stations are likely to only invest the bare minimum to avoid this fee, this could become a common frustration if this goes ahead.

Re: Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

#37

Post by arcticbull »

zeryx wrote: post #21
giantg2 wrote: post #12

This seems misguided to me. One of the biggest benefits to an EV is not having to go to a gas station. Most people can charge at home for their typical needs. Next, it makes sense to put then at a person's work, then at stores or public parking. And of course there needs to be charging infrastructure on highway gas stations and/or rest stops. Making all gas stations, especially urban ones, pay a fine for not having c…

Most people in Canada don't have a home, they rent - especially in BC.

That's straight-up wrong. Home ownership rates in Canada are actually really high, 68.55% so more than 2/3 of Canadians own their own homes.

[edit] In fact Surrey, while not Vancouver proper, comes in at the #4 spot for the highest percentage of millennials who own their homes. [1]

[1] https://edisonfinancial.ca/millennial-home-ownership-canada/

Re: Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

#39

Post by ehnto »

zeryx wrote: post #21
giantg2 wrote: post #12

This seems misguided to me. One of the biggest benefits to an EV is not having to go to a gas station. Most people can charge at home for their typical needs. Next, it makes sense to put then at a person's work, then at stores or public parking. And of course there needs to be charging infrastructure on highway gas stations and/or rest stops. Making all gas stations, especially urban ones, pay a fine for not having c…

Most people in Canada don't have a home, they rent - especially in BC.

Some more nuance, is that not every home will have a garage or even off-street parking. So even if you own your apartment, you may still be out of luck for charging where you live.

That issue will only get worse as housing gets denser, so some kind of publicly accessible charging will be necessary. Maybe that means apartment blocks, units and townhouses start putting in outlets near the street, but I can see that getting really tricky. For street parking you have the vandalism aspect, which is kind-of working for corporations who can stomach the cost, but I doubt it would fly for landlords.

Re: Vancouver proposes 10k-dollar annual fee for gas stations without EV charging

#40

Post by ehnto »

giantg2 wrote: post #31
zeryx wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people in Canada don't have a home, they rent - especially in BC.

If they rent, where do they park at that residence? That's where it makes sense to charge. How many of the renters without parking have a car? If it's really true that "Most people in Canada" don't have a home, then do you really think that the 66 gas stations in Vancouver can accommodate all those people?

On the street, or shared parking lots, or yes indeed, not at all. Try organizing an on-the-sidewalk charging station for your unit block, even if you own your unit, you've got to convince your strata/hoa to plan, consult councils, build and maintain it.

Then who pays for the electricity? At the moment at least, you're pretty likely to be the only one with an EV, so either everyone is paying strata fees to charge your car for you, or you're in some boutique agreement outside the strata and they put in a meter just for you, or you've payed for the whole thing on your own. Forget it entirely if you're renting.

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