Dear Editor:
Letter writer Cory Kinney urges District of North Vancouver Council to install chargers in DNV for electric vehicles. I have no problem with that, if the full costs for these stations, and the electricity, are borne by those who use them. If you force a real-estate developer to install all this equipment and more electrical capacity in a building, all tenants or owners (with EVs or not) probably pay some or all the extra cost, not the developer. Contrary to Kinney's inference, I doubt the developer will cut his "profit margin" when ordered to install charging facilities to achieve a social goal.
I am sure someone will argue that owners of gasoline-powered vehicles should pay for EV charging stations and electricity too as a cost of "saving the planet." I'll consider that argument when everybody pays the incremental cost for me to buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle.
It seems to me that the proper solution is for the EV owner to install a charging station at his house, as I did with natural gas for my CNG vehicles. This may not be practical everywhere, but this way the user gets both the cost and the benefit; others don't pay his "fuel" costs.
Let's keep in mind that, contrary to the hype, EVs are not emissions free, even in B.C. The carbon footprint of making an electric car, particularly the battery, is so high that it takes about three to four years of EV driving to break even on overall emissions versus a gasoline vehicle. In addition, B.C. imports electricity from both coal-and gas-fired power plants in Alberta and the U.S.; even electricity from new power plants in B.C. has a carbon footprint, so EVs have emissions if you draw the influence circle properly. EVs may be an improvement over hydrocarbon-powered cars, but they should not be claimed as completely "clean."
John Hunter
North Vancouver
