Vancouver s electric car community
lobbies for greener commutes

= By CAMERON THOMSON

he future of electric cars in Vancouver
is looking positively charged thanks to
the efforts of a diverse group of local
lobbyists.

For 30 years, the Vancouver Electric Vehicle
Association (VEVA) has advocated for more
electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations in
the city. The Vancouver park board recently an-
nounced two new stations for Dunbar and Killar-
ney community centres, with upgrades to those
at Sunset Community Centre due later this year.
‘This will add to the 19 charging stations currently
in South Vancouver, and the hundreds across the
Lower Mainland.

VEVA president Bruce Sharpe said EV growth
cannot stop there,

“That sounds like a lot, but it’s still only a frac-
tion of what we are going to need as electric cars
become more popular,” he said.

Since VEVA’s inception, EV ownership has
grown dramatically in the city, although EVs still
account for only one per cent of traffic. Over the
years, VEVA members have been consulted by
policymakers. Many have created businesses re-
lated to green energy and transport, making the
group as much a networking opportunity as an
environmental lobby.

One of the younger members, Sukhdeep Gill,
28, created the company Cielo Electric Ltd.,

which specializes in private charging stations for
EVs.

Gill said VEVA is made up of a mixture of ac-
tivists, enthusiasts and entrepreneurs,

“It’s a vast number of fields which are not re-

lated, but what brings us together is electric ve-
hicles.”

Langara alumna, and VEVA board member,
Suzanne Fairley said Vancouver is in the mid-
dle of a shift toward electric
transportation. Fairley said it
is not necessary to know a lot
about EV technology to enjoy
the thrill of driving one, and
that the speed of modern EVs
would surprise most conven-
tional car drivers,

Sukhdeep Gill

"If I pull up to a red light and
CIELO ELECTRIC LTD. somebody, usually a guy, comes
OWNER

up beside me and wants to race
me over the line, I'll roll down
my window and say, "This is an electric car, I'll
blow you away in the dust if you try to overtake
me,” Fairley said.

Encouraging Vancouverites who have never
tried an EV to get on board is what VEVA is all
about, Sharpe said,

"Once you get into one of these cars, and ex-
perience them and learn a little about them, you
realize this is really the right way to make a car."

Suzanne Fairley uses one of Vancouver's charging stations to connect to the
universal charge port on her electric KIA. PHOTO CAMERON THOMSON

Vancouver based company, Electra Meccanica, produced this Solo, seen here sitting outside the con

Clockwise from top:

A Tesla Model X parked outside the VEVA
social meeting at Emily Carr University of
Art + Design; members of VEVA meet over
coffee to discuss the future of electric
vehicles on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018; the
back of an Electra Meccanica Solo sitting
outside the company's office near down-
town Vancouver. PHOTO CAMERON THOMSON