Incentives for buyers of electric vehicles boosted by $3,000
B.C. Scrap-It doubles incentive for residents willing to junk a gas-guzzler for new plug-in
B.C. residents looking to trade in their clunker for an electric vehicle got a $3,000 boost Wednesday from a non-profit society called B.C. Scrap-It.
The society is now offering $6,000 — double what it offered before — for those willing to buy a new electric vehicle and take their gas guzzler off the road.
Add in the B.C. government’s Clean Energy Vehicles for B.C. program, which makes up to $5,000 available toward a new electric vehicle purchase, and consumers could save as much as $11,000.
Scrap-It CEO Dennis Rogoza said the program will benefit the environment and make the air cleaner in Metro Vancouver.
“Eventually there will be a significant reduction in carbon emissions,” he said. “The condition is you have to scrap a gas-powered car and get an internal-combustion engine off the road.
“Batteries have extremely low greenhouse gas emissions. That’s the net benefit to the environment.”
Up to 500 incentive packages are available in 2017 for new electricvehicle purchases, and to make it fair to those who can’t shell out the full $40,000 cost of a new car, another 400 incentives are available for those purchasing used electric vehicles.
Rogoza predicted the electric revolution will gather momentum this year with the introduction of additional models whose range will be sufficient to take the fear out of running out of power.
One model, the Chevrolet Bolt, due in Vancouver in a month or so, will be able to go more than 300 kilometres on a single charge, he said.
“This is the year you’re going to see quite impressive technologies coming onto the market. There will be lots of variety from most of the major manufacturers,” Rogoza said.
Scrap-It’s program applies to all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, which are electric vehicles with small gas-powered motors to boost range. The program does not apply to full hybrids, which use a combination of gas and electricmotor technology.
Blair Upton, general manager at GM’s Dueck Downtown dealership, expects electric car sales to increase as a result of the incentives.
Electric vehicles are still a niche market — three Dueck dealerships sold just 75 last year — but interest will grow over time, he predicted.
“People who are focused solely on the electric car want to make a statement about being green and saving dollars on fuel. They’re going to buy an electric car from someone,” Upton said.
Both gas-powered and electric vehicles offer price advantages: The price of gas-powered cars is cheaper initially, but fuel is more expensive over time.
Upton said there is no doubt the price differential between technologies is getting lower and lower. He noted a recent statement by a major U.S. auto manufacturer that 50 per cent of all vehicles sold will be electric in about 15 years.
Charging infrastructure is in its infancy in Metro Vancouver, he said, adding a relatively small number of all-electric vehicles are in service.
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