Changing vehicles to save the planet

Updated Mon., February 1, 2021

The bottom line for the future is to develop new methods to preserve our environment, slow down global change, reduce carbon emissions and drastically reduce our greenhouse gases. Years of scientific studies and research point the finger at humans for being the main contributor, causing greenhouse gas emissions to skyrocket over the past few decades. The pollutants at the top of the list are burning fossil fuels like oil and gas, whether used for electricity, heat or transportation. To preserve our environment and the atmosphere, companies have shifted their focus on reducing their footprint and coming up with new technology that steers away from the need for fossil fuels.

The race was on as researchers and inventors create solutions and develop technology to become a sustainable society. Different ways to reduce greenhouse gases are renewable resources such as wind, geothermal heat, the sun and nuclear power. According to Environment Canada, each of these natural resources can provide electricity, heat and is responsible for approximately 17 percent of gas emissions. The largest emissions producer comes from our transportation at 22 percent, as they burn gasoline and diesel. Six harmful gasses escape through the exhaust pipe of a vehicle and pollute the atmosphere. As of 2019, there were 35,742,412 vehicles on the road in Canada, so combine that with the various gases each one produces, and it’s no wonder it ranks the highest for greenhouse gas emissions. As vehicles are the worst pollutants, vehicle manufacturers have been developing eco-friendly vehicles. The latest one to hit the market is the electric vehicle.

The new electric vehicles come with a hefty price tag of around $42,000 to $60,000, albeit you do get rebates for being environmentally friendly. Ford, Chev, BMW, Nissan and Honda are a few familiar names that have jumped on board to design their own electric vehicle version. There are many options to consider besides the hefty price. Each EV model has its own set maximum speed limit, travel distance and charging time to consider. On average, no matter which EV you choose, it will get you to Edmonton, but it won’t get you all the way home without having to stop and recharge. They may be efficient on the road, environmentally safe, but if there’s nowhere to recharge, you won’t be leaving town anytime soon.

Organizations such as the Community Energy Association (CEA), headquartered in British Columbia, are hoping to change that within the next year. The non-profit has been the facilitator with the B.C. government and other partners to have municipalities host EV charging stations. Regional governments have had great success in setting up a network of stations throughout B.C. As the facilitating organization, Community Energy Association collaborated with several Advisory Committees in southern Alberta, which prompted the Peaks' success to Prairies EV network of charging stations. Acting as a facilitator for the project aims to have all municipalities support recharging stations set along the major traffic routes and tourist destination regions. To make travelling in Alberta possible for electric vehicle owners, stations would need to be set up in the municipalities along highway 43, 40,16, 11, 22, and along highway 1 down south and over to B.C. The estimated budget for Alberta is $3 million. Significant financial contributions have been requested from the Government of Alberta, Natural Resources Canada, Federation of Canadian Municipalities and private industry. To date, both the City of Grande Prairie and the MD of Greenview have approached the CEA and discussions are underway regarding the latest project, EVenture Northwest. The aim is to break ground later this year for the northern part of Alberta with the construction of charging station sites completed by the summer of 2022. The long-term plan is to have all municipalities and through-routes set up with one or more EV charging stations to enable electric vehicle owners to travel throughout Alberta.

As more charging stations for electric vehicles are installed, the feasibility of buying a car may be more appealing and predicted to cost near the same as a regular vehicle in the next five years. Researchers for clean energy and advanced transport are predicting by 2030, more than 28 percent of vehicles sold will be electric and reach 80 percent in the next 30 years. Global analysts have added that by 2050 all vehicles must be electric to save our environment and the global crisis; otherwise, it will be too late. Those interested to learn more about the charging station projects can visit https://acceleratekootnays.caor https://peakstopairies.ca

Vicki Winger, 

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Whitecourt Press

Originally published Mon., February 1, 2021, .