Nearly 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in BC come from the transportation sector. Establishing a world-leading zero-emission transportation system across the province will not only make a major dent in our emissions but will also support our COVID-19 recovery. Our plan will prioritize investments in the electrification of our transit systems, including partnering with the federal government to accelerate support for BC Transit and Translink’s efforts to electrify their bus fleets.
We also need to set out a clear vision for our transportation sector. This means enhancing the Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and undertaking a comprehensive build-out of public charging infrastructure on all highways in the province, particularly in remote and rural BC, to enable electric vehicle (EV) drivers to travel across BC with ease. Government should lead the way in this by requiring all BC government agencies operating in urban centres to shift to 100% ZEV fleets by 2030.
We also need to lower the cost of electric vehicles so that ordinary British Columbians can afford them. As a first step, we would make ZEV ownership more accessible by removing PST on used electric cars and supporting electric vehicle charging in multi-unit buildings.
The BC Greens' plan for Electrifying transportation
Facilitate electric vehicle charging in multi-unit buildings through a variety of tools, including building code changes and establishing “right to charge” rules.