Is the City planning for plug-in vehicles?
email from NanaimoCityHall blog reader Gordon Scott
to nanaimocityhall@gmail.com
date Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 9:57 PM
subject: accommodation for plug-in hybrids?
I live in the Yellow Point area and frequently drive into the city of Nanaimo to shop and do business. I believe that in approximately 18 months we will see the roll out of plug-in hybrid cars and I would very much like to purchase one. But, once into Nanaimo where would I be able to plug-in? Without any ability to plug-in I would probably have to fall back onto the gasoline powered motor…has the City done any planning for a future with plug-in vehicles?
Thanks,
Gordon Scott
Reply from Nanaimo Environmental Planner Rob Lawrance:
Subject: RE: PLUG-IN FOR HYBRID CARS
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:47:43 -0700
From: Rob Lawrance <Rob.Lawrance@nanaimo.ca>
To: Frank Murphy
Hi Frank
Yes the City has been discussing the emergence of pure electric vehicles on the market and the need to place charge stations at convenient, accessible locations.
At this point I am involved in developing a sustainability action plan for the City, which will identify initiatives and programs that will help Nanaimo work toward reducing GHG emissions and reaching its GHG reduction targets, that were recently added to the City’s OCP. While the City will clearly play a role, the action plan is meant to identifying all our community other partners that will be contributing toward reducing emission and saving energy, over the long term.
Establishing charge stations and identifying partners to lead this effort will be raised in the action plan. More details on opportunities to be involved in developing and commenting the action plan will be available in the Fall.
As an aside, The City has partnered with other munipalities and with the Fraser Basin Council to participate in a bulk purchase of up to 6 Ford “Direct Connect” electric vehicles, which will be used by public works and parks staff in the coming years (See http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/nanaimonewsbulletin/news/92894299.html and top of page three of the attached minutes). If provincial funding is approved, the first vehicle could be delivered to the City by this Fall.
Hope this helps
Rob Lawrance,
Environmental Planner
City of Nanaimo
Posts and Comments on Nanaimo Governance 
While the shift to energy conservation is very important please don’t kid yourself that the hybrid of any type will be the answer to a reduction in GHG.
In fact, assuming that BCH doesn’t have to engage the Burrard Thermal or import from AB or WA you can get away with reasonably clean energy. Subtract the brutally harmful batteries in these cars and the VOC’s from the plastics and you are ok, I guess. If BCH needs to import power you are far better off (in the big picture) looking for an internal combustion engine, like a super clean diesel (VW, AUDI, BMW, BENZ) to get your travel needs met whilst reducing the amount of pollution. The import of dirty power has a many times greater impact to our environment than some cars ever will.
We pay Peter to rob Paul and we must think of the entire system to be truly green.
Or rob Peter to pay Paul, depending on how you look at it.