Merritt is on the electric super grid. At least it will be if the B.C. government follows through with plans to include Merritt in the implementation of the $1.3-million investment to the “fast-charging infrastructure.”
As many Merritt Herald readers will recall, over the summer Merritt added a charging station for electric vehicles to power up for free outside the Baillie House. The main difference between that station and the new one is about four hours of charge time and $5, which is about how much it will cost for drivers to charge at the new location. The DC fast chargers would require about 30 minutes of charge time.
Many details of the plan still need to surface, but so far the fast chargers are expected to give people enough confidence to drive from city to city with their electric vehicles. That ability could encourage many more people to drive the cars, and to limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the environment.
The response from communities wanting to be involved in the project is encouraging. While the technology to operate an electric vehicle in a viable way has been around since the 1990s, there wasn’t much of an opportunity, largely because of a lack of locations to charge the vehicles and technology that keeps people driving for long periods.
But if Merritt and other communities are involved, it’s only a matter of time before a significant drop in greenhouse gases. Over the years, doom-and-gloomers (mainly conspiracy theorists) have said a lack of oil will mark the end of civilization. However, I believe people are survivors, and we will find a way to live on by finding alternative forms of energy. It appears we are on the right track with these new charging stations and it is a privilege for our community to be a part of this technology.
In the United States, President Barack Obama has enacted regulations meant to double vehicle fuel efficiency by 2025. According to research from Pennsylvania State University, cars account for 76 per cent of the carbon monoxide in the air. It may be time to sell shares of oil companies, or short sell the stocks.
Thirteen B.C. communities are included in the plan, with Vancouver already installing its station earlier this month. The other communities include Merritt, Whistler, Squamish, Surrey, Langley, Saanich, Hope, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver.
A timeline for implementation in Merritt hasn’t been set.
