Should the District of North Vancouver plug in or drop out?
That question is scheduled to take centre stage this September as council determines whether electric vehicles are an arc-flash in the pan or a direct current to the future.
The matter of electric vehicles is particularly pressing as the district prepares to oversee construction of town centres - possibly equipped with charging stations - in Lower Capilano, Lower Lynn, Lynn Valley, Edgemont and Maplewood.
"The technology in this area changes so rapidly that I think that we are going to be installing a completely different technology within 10 years for these cars," said Coun. Mike Little.
Coun. Roger Bassam had a different opinion.
As highrises go up over the next 20 years, it is important the district take a far-reaching view, said Bassam.
"We need to be ahead of the curve," he said. "Yes, technology does change, but doing nothing I think would be a grave disservice to the community."
Failing to mandate charging stations at this stage may mean "hugely expensive" retrofits, according to Bassam.
So far, the technology has not gripped the district, according to Little, who pointed out the district's charging station was used 35 times in one year.
"My recollection is that any time I've seen somebody actually hooked up to it, it was a Metro Vancouver vehicle because Metro Vancouver has the electric vehicle fleet," Little said.
But there are clear signs the popularity of electric vehicles is increasing, according to Bassam.
"Harley Davidson is producing an electric bike, and I think that really says times are changing when you go from rolling thunder to the high-pitched whine of electricity. So it's the future," he said.
The district should be wary of imposing the unknown costs of electrical charging stations on developers, said Coun. Alan Nixon.
"I just don't want to really support this going forward until we have some idea as to what the cost implications are for developers," he said.
Nixon also wondered how a charging station would be metered within a strata.
Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn positioned himself as an exponent of electric vehicles.
Despite an initial hesitance to support "feelgood" projects, MacKay-Dunn said district residents expect council to steward the environment through initiatives that result in clean air and water.
