B.C. residents now have up to $11K incentive to trade in a gas guzzler for an electric vehicle

B.C. residents can now save up to $11,000 dollars if they choose to trade in an old car for an electric vehicle.

B.C.'s Minister of Energy Bill Bennett announced the measure Friday, along with a separate investment of $40 million to encourage B.C. residents to make the switch.

The province's Clean Energy Vehicles for B.C. program will offer up to $5,000 for an electric vehicle purchase

A non-profit society called B.C. Scrap-It currently offers $6,000 dollars towards electric vehicles purchases, bringing the total savings up to $11,000.

Vehicles priced above $77,000 remain ineligible for purchase incentives.

Growing the EV market

Other programs funded within the $40 million include expanding public and residential charging infrastructure, supporting job training in the zero-emission vehicle sector, and increasing public awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles.

"This is one of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere," said Bennett.

"Transportation accounts for about 50 per cent of our greenhouse gas output in this province, so it's a place where we can really make a difference." 

Bennett said electric vehicles currently account for two per cent of car sales in B.C., with a long-term goal of reaching five per cent of all sales.

B.C. gets a C-

According to the province, B.C. has the highest ratio of zero-emission vehicle sales and the largest charging network in Canada.

But a report released by SFU's Sustainable Transportation Action Research Team (START) in November gave B.C.'s electric vehicle program a C-minus, and called on the federal government and provinces to introduce supply-focused policies.

The province of Quebec and 10 U.S. states now require automakers to sell a minimum quota of electric vehicles.

Bennett said B.C. is not ready to introduce such a policy.

"We don't have the confidence that manufacturers and consumers are ready for that," he said. 

Suzanne Goldberg, the START group's director of output and research, said the increased incentives are a "step in the right direction."

"It does improve the grade slightly. Without knowing their plan for infrastructure, that incentive can improve sales in the short term and boost B.C. up to a C or a C plus," she said, adding the policy is "not quite where we need to be in terms of mitigating really dangerous climate change."

Goldberg said policies with long-term effects need to be implemented for B.C. to meaningfully expand its electric vehicle market.

"It's a short term strategy, and it should be combined with other types of policies and incentives to encourage the long-term adoption of these vehicles."

With files from CBC Radio One's B.C. Almanac