To the editor:
Electric cars have been around since the 1830’s and 1840’s, and production models have been around since the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. There’s really not much new about the electric car concept other than the 21st century technology now being used to get them back onto our streets in a big way to reduce emissions.
The media have given electric cars some good exposure, and modern electric cars are definitely creating interest and excitement. But I can’t help wondering what it’s really going to take for us to lose our collective attachment to the internal combustion engine and the fossil fuels they run on. After all, we’re paying through the nose for gas at the pump and you would think this alone would propel a lot of people toward electric car dealerships.
To me it seems crazy that we’re powering our cars with gasoline made from oil that’s pumped out of the ground mostly outside BC’s borders when we’re living in the clean electricity capital of the world. Not only is it crazy to be importing this oil, we’re also exporting jobs and revenues in the process. If we can shift the majority of vehicles on our city streets to clean electricity it would obviously keep those jobs and revenues inside this province while also reducing emissions.
Let me say that I’m certainly not in favour of governments mandating what we can drive and/or where we can drive. But I also can’t help wondering what carrots and sticks are still needed to make electric vehicles the norm on our city streets. If high gas prices haven’t already done the trick, then perhaps some stronger motivators are needed to drastically reduce vehicle emissions and keep jobs and revenues in the province?
Michael McBratney
Port Moody, B.C.
