The B.C. government is providing funds to expand its electric vehicle repair training to Okanagan College’s Kelowna Campus, Camosun College in Victoria and the College of New Caledonia in Prince George this fall.
The new programs will provide up to 160 training spaces for trades people, in a course that began at B.C. Institute of Technology in 2019. The province has provided $440,000 for equipment needed to diagnose and repair electric vehicles.
“We know from speaking with our students and with industry that there is huge interest and a real need for EV training,” said Andrew Ross, automotive service technician instructor at Okanagan College. “This funding ensures we can tool up to deliver state-of-the-art training that will help our students be in demand and get jobs.”
B.C. has offered point-of-sale subsidies for new vehicles purchased through a program run by the New Car Dealers of B.C. since 2015, and also subsidizes local charging stations. The subsidy for a qualifying new purchased or leased vehicle is up to $3,000, as long as the program funds last.
The NDP government took over the long-running low-emission vehicle program in 2017 and added another $10 million to its initial $27 million commitment in the fall of 2018 as demand was draining the fund.
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