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Electric charging stations under debate

Editor: Minister of Environment Terry Lake recently announced a community charging infrastructure fund, and the Sunshine Coast Regional District and the District of Sechelt are considering six of these units.

Editor:

Minister of Environment Terry Lake recently announced a community charging infrastructure fund, and the Sunshine Coast Regional District and the District of Sechelt are considering six of these units. The program is designed to encourage the installation of 570 public charging stations for electric cars throughout B.C.

Key points to consider include: installation incentive: up to $4,000 per station. Planning incentive: up to $75,000 in total funding if the intention is to install one station/$1,000 received. The goal is 570 stations by March 13, 2013 at an infrastructure cost of $2,280,000 plus an additional $460,000 for planning - total of $2,760,000.

While this may at first appeal to those who are electric car advocates, it does not appeal to smart technology selection or getting a good return on our investment.

First the technology selection. One tried and true aphorism is that government isn't any good at picking winners, but then again, who is? Remember when George W. Bush announced $1.2 billion for hydrogen fuel? Not too many people do.

There appear to be two people on the Sunshine Coast with electric cars who have already developed their solutions to keep their vehicles charged up. So, who are these charging stations going to serve?

Further, once this technology is discovered to be underutilized, if used at all, who will pay to have it removed and properly recycled and repurposed?

Governments should be focused on ensuring the market has lots of leeway to figure out how to respond, much as markets have responded to rising market prices for fossil fuels through a variety of mechanisms such as: higher fuel efficiency, more hybrids, more use of walking, biking and transit, changes in living and commuting patterns, etc. We want to develop solutions to monumental challenges we have never faced before, but let's be smart about how do it.

Erich Schwartz, Gibsons