A zero-emissions vehicle that’s simple to operate, requires limited “fuel”, and is easy on the wallet in light of skyrocketing gas prices? Yes! A new “electronic toy”? Okay, it’s cool too.
Vancouver could become the second city in B.C. to have electric cars on its roads. City council may amend city bylaws to permit low-speed vehicles (LSV) on streets with a speed limit of 50 Km or lower. A decision may be made by the end of September.
“Bridge speed limits are 60 km/h an hour in the City of Vancouver, but city staff are discussing lowering that limit so the cars can be driven everywhere within city boundaries”, says Vancouver sustainability planner Brian Beck in an interview with The Globe and Mail.
An alternative, proposed by Don Chandler, president of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association, would be for “the city [to] consider allowing the cars in the right-hand lane on bridges.”
Oak Bay, BC, a bedroom community of Victoria on Vancouver Island, changed its bylaws this past Summer.
See GlobalTV BC’s September 26th coverage at:
http://canwest.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/canwest-globalbc-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=globalbcallvideo&maven_referralPlaylistId=24845d5c80768d2d50c292ff8e60a971d5a69e38&maven_referralObject=3115004
For more news coverage on the potential bylaw amendment, read:
- ‘Vancouver Gives Green Light to Electric Cars‘, by The Globe and Mail.
- ‘Vancouver Poised to Allow Electric Cars on City Streets‘, by Canwest News Service.
For background information about electric cars in Canada, see:
- ‘Canadian Electric Car Makers Unable to Sell to Canadians‘, by CBC News:
- ‘Dynasty Electric Car Corp‘, based in Delta, B.C., featured on GlobalTV BC:
- ‘ZENN on the Rick Mercer Report‘:
- ‘ZENN Product Review‘, headquartered in Toronto, ON:
Did you know that the first electric car in Vancouver was the 1912 Detroit Electric? The Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) has a photo of the car, which is housed at the Stave Falls BC Hydro powerhouse museum, near Mission, BC at 31338 Dewdney Trunk Road.
- For a short history, read VEVA’s short article on electric vehicles at:http://www.veva.bc.ca/books2.htm
- For more information about electric cars, go to VEVA’s website at:http://www.veva.bc.ca/home/index.php
For background information on electric cars in the U.S.:
- Read a review, by The Georgia Straight, on the documentary, ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?‘ at:
http://www.straight.com/article/who-killed-the-electric-car-2
- Watch a trailer on the documentary, ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?‘:
- Watch a 10-minute clip of the 90-minute documentary, ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?: Big Oil Impedes Progress‘:
- See a CBS News interview with the U.S. Energy Secretary of the Bush Administration:
To buy the DVD, ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?’, go to:
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