The City of Delta now has an electric vehicle strategy.
Council last week endorsed a staff recommendation to have a strategy aimed at removing barriers to electric vehicle ownership by increasing access to charging infrastructure and providing public education about electric vehicles and charging.
A report to council notes Delta's Community Energy and Emissions Plan states that one important way to achieve the city's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets is by increasing the availability of electric vehicle charging in the city, which promotes the purchase and use of electric vehicles.
Delta has taken a number of first steps including installation of the city's first publicly-owned charging stations at recreation facilities in 2019 and zoning bylaw regulations requiring a percentage of parking stalls in residential buildings to support electric vehicle charging, the report notes, adding the strategy provides an action plan to further promote the uptake of electric vehicles.
The strategy includes requiring up to 100 per cent of parking stalls in new multi-family buildings to provide an energized electrical outlet capable of providing Level 2 or higher electric vehicle charging, requiring one energized electrical outlet capable of providing Level 2 electric vehicle charging in all new single-family homes and require up to 100 per cent of staff parking stalls at new commercial and industrial buildings to provide an energized electrical outlet capable of providing Level 2 or higher charging.
The strategy also includes, among other things, exploring opportunities for incentives or rebates at the municipal level to retrofit existing buildings, provide outlets in bike storage areas for electric bicycle charging, conduct a gap analysis to determine high priority locations for more public charging station infrastructure and installing stations at those locations, as well as installing charging stations for electric fleet vehicles at city hall and both works yards as more vehicles are purchased.
The report adds that prior to bringing forward any specific bylaw amendments relating to the action items proposed in the strategy, staff will undertake detailed analysis to ensure a proposed course of action is economically feasible and incorporates sufficient leeway to accommodate special circumstances that may arise.
The strategy will be forwarded to the city’s Climate Action and Community Livability Advisory Committee and the Mayor's Youth Council for feedback on how the action items should be implemented.
During last week’s council discussion, Lois Jackson wondered if the city should keep an open mind about other alternatives including natural gas. Saying the market simply hasn’t developed for that, Mayor George Harvie noted the city needs to focus on what it can do right now in its climate change initiative.
