Can electric vehicles make P.E.I. a better place?

In 2008, gasoline sales on P.E.I. totalled nearly $230 million. There were 78,024 light-duty vehicles registered on P.E.I. in 2008 and the vast majority of these vehicles ran entirely on gasoline. Without change, we will spend enormous amounts of money for gasoline fuel by 2030.

The ECO-PEI Energy Project is assessing an alternative scenario to the above, whereby all light-duty vehicles on P.E.I. could eventually be powered electrically by wind energy. It turns out that Islanders could run the entire light-duty vehicle fleet using the wind power generated by 21 large three-megawatt turbines.

The cost of installing this "virtual oilfield," providing us with green fuel for decades and partly solving our dependence on foreign oil, would be roughly $150 million - less than what was paid for gasoline in 2008.

The "all-electric" Nissan Leaf is set to enter Canadian markets in 2012. In fact, some electric vehicles will roll out in mass volumes sooner in Israel, Denmark, Australia, Japan, parts of the U.S. and several other jurisdictions. These places have each developed strategic plans to end their dependence on foreign oil in their transportation sectors. This begs the question, what is the plan for P.E.I.?

For consumers to buy into electric vehicles they must be able to charge their cars at home, work and in public areas. The total cost of creating this charging infrastructure, for all Islanders, would be significant although a detailed infrastructure cost estimate for P.E.I. has not been fully developed yet. Without assessing the full costs and benefits, it becomes difficult to imagine an effective roll-out plan could be developed. This is a challenge - to get informed.

A global provider of electric vehicle (EV) services, a company called Better Place, is accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. To ensure people can confidently drive anytime, anywhere, Better Place is developing and deploying EV driver services, systems and infrastructure. Subscribers and guests will have access to a network of charge spots, switch stations and systems which optimize the driving experience and minimize environmental impact. The company's guarantee is to offer an alternative cheaper than internal combustion engines - even at today's lower oil prices. The University of California, Berkeley, has validated this claim in a recent study, which forecasted that 24 per cent of all light-duty vehicles in the U.S. will be electric by 2030. Better Place thinks the shift to electricity for personal transportation could happen faster by choosing the right investments.

Since we are already constructing the wind turbines here on P.E.I., perhaps the province should consider meeting with companies such as Better Place to explore opportunities for electric vehicle services to be provided to Islanders. Ontario has done this already and signed an agreement with Better Place in January of this year. In July, the government of Ontario announced a $10,000 electric car incentive - a model incentive to encourage electric drivers and the roll-out of systems and infrastructure.

In our small Island community, these are still only ideas. But we will continue to spend incredible amounts of our money on gasoline and associated pollution until we fundamentally change our approach. If all Islanders were willing, we could change fast and I believe the economic and environmental benefits would be significant. The ECO-PEI Energy Project will continue to work with Islanders to assess this potential opportunity.

While I was attending the 33rd annual New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Conference in Saint John, N.B., Premier Ghiz said to me, "We need to get off oil."

Well, I agree - and here is one idea. Islanders buy into an all-electric car future, powered by the wind, saving lots of money and reducing GHG emissions by almost 500 kilotonnes annually. Perhaps we could really become Canada's green province. To learn more about Better Place, visit http://www.betterplace.com.

Matthew McCarville of Charlottetown is the energy policy co-ordinator for the Environmental Coalition of P.E.I.