Electric Car Infrastructure in Metro Vancouver
Thought I'd start a thread about Electric car infrastructure in Vancouver.
I was surprised to see that there were over 90 charging stations around Vancouver! http://carstations.com/ Did anyone else plop down $1000 on a Model 3? How soon do you see electric cars taking over in Vancouver? Will the new $5K BC rebate make a big difference in sales? |
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IMO BC is a prime spot for EVs, since we have relatively cheap, clean electricity, and very expensive gas. The $5k rebate helps, I think this incentive for charging station is as important to promoting usage, some details here: http://pluginbc.ca/ |
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The city really needs to figure out how to roll out level 2 chargers en mass. A few on every block. DC fast chargers should be located in a few key places to supplement. |
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I was looking at getting an EV, but the selection is too limited for my taste at the moment, and I would be far too worried about driving to the Okanagan or further in one at present. Even if I can make it between communities on the trip, I still feel like I would lose a lot of time by having to charge (at locations I might not necessarily want to stop at but would have to). Having to stop multiple times on my way out to Banff could make it more than a comfortable 1 day trip. Having to stop for a 30 minute charge isn't bad if you like the place the charger is at. Like if there was one at interesting stops like D Dutchmen, I would be a happy camper. But typically they are at city halls or libraries (outside Vancouver), not exactly hot spots. And most are still J1772 plugs, so you will probably have to hang out a closed city hall for a few hours while you charge. There is also the complication of getting a charging station in the parking garage of my strata. The cheapest rough estimate I could find would be at least $6000 which starts to make the EV completely uneconomical. For the same total cost of ownership (car+fuel), I could have a much more comfortable ride for those long trips. I'm also worried about the limited infrastructure if it actually succeeds. Imagine showing up to a gas station, and all the pumps are full, but no one is around. All the people started fueling their cars and then went to work 8 hours in their office, or are having a lunch date or gone shopping. That's pretty much what's happening the the Tesla Superchargers in some places. And superchargers are proprietary. Imagine not being able to hit the lone gas station in a town because your car can't take Esso gas. If you need a car primarily for commuting, you can install a charger at home, and your family has a second vehicle for long distance trips, then yeah, an EV is a great buy at the moment. I look forward to the day I can get an EV, but if you want to live a life with only 1 car, and you leave the city, I don't think an EV fits right now. |
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I sat in it and didn't really like the feel. I don't really want to sit in a car for hours that I don't like. Which was one of my points, there isn't enough choice yet. It only goes 85km on an electric charge, that's either a lot of stopping or a lot of using the gas engine. Plus, you can buy a lot of car for $40,000. I could buy a Honda Civic with a CVT and over 4 years it would end up costing about the same all in. And buying a car with a motor, even if it's as a backup generator kind of defeats the whole allure of buying an EV: not having to deal with the expensive mechanical components that need constant maintenance. |
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I'm planning to buy around the time I can realistically get a Model 3, which is probably around 2020. Whether I get the Tesla specifically is not set in stone, I expect the landscape will have changed by then. Buying a new gas car today or in the next few years could look like a terrible mistake by 2025. |
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Also, what's the etiquette surrounding unplugging someone else's car if they aren't around and you really need a recharge? |
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DC chargers are much more expensive since they need a transformer and they also age the batteries due to the faster charger rate. |
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The main obstacle to to owning an EV in Canada is road conditions/quality. EV's are heavier than equivalent gasoline car, and thus winter is very harsh on cars not produced for climates that get snow. Metro Vancouver doesn't have any superchargers, there is one in Hope, Whistler, Kelowna, and Kamloops. Seems like a huge oversight to me when the closest one is in Burlington. Likewise if you look at the map, they just stop when you get to Red Deer along Highway 1. If you wanted to make a Cross-Canada trip you can't, you'd have to go along highway 90 in the US. If you filter in "destination charging" there is the Metrotown Hilton, Art Knapp South Surrey, Inn at the Quay (New West), 7 hotels in downtown Vancouver and one at Jordans. The main adoption problem in North America is the 120V system. European vehicles have onboard chargers that work with the 240V system's over there and can basically do a L2 charge at home/work. Over here you can't effectively charge a EV without spending 12 hours at a charging station, which means you have to charge it at home AND at your destination. http://www.ceati.com/files/ev/BC%20E...Guidelines.pdf Apparently in 2009 it costs about 2300$ to install a L2 charging point in a residence. |
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With respect to 120V vs 240V, yes we have a few more hurdles to install L2 charging, but depending on your daily usage, 120V may be plenty. I find the main opposition to EVs is by people pointing out the 2% of use cases where they have a problem, not the 98% of the time that they are superior. Plugging in when you park in your garage is far simpler that having to refuel at a gas station. |
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One thing working greatly in favor of EVs in BC: cheap, clean electricity. |
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Unfortunately, I'm really disappointed in the form factor of the new Volt - it has a horribly cramped rear seat and awful rear visibility. I was once planning to buy one, but now I'm going to keep my Prius C for the longer trips and wait for the Chevy Bolt EV for a car to take on local trips. And who knows - perhaps in a few years' time the charging infrastructure will have been built out enough for me to ditch the Prius C and use the Bolt EV for longer trips too. |
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The Bolt dimensions are close to the Spark, so I'm not sure it will meet your space/size needs. |
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Keep in mind the flat floor means that the cabin can extend to the corners of the vehicle and is way more efficient for packaging than is possible with gas cars. |
Tesla is in active discussions to land a large supercharging station downtown Vancouver.
Their network of chargers is only going to grow and grow, especially with the success of the model 3. |
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