After I finished my BCSEA Webinar, on May 17, and watched our Salt Spring Island EV Celebration film again, I sat back and paused to reflect on how much progress we have made with the growth of fully electric car (EV) ownership on SSI.
Under three years ago, we were an EV backwater of a few EVs, mostly conversions by experimental pioneers Al Kirk and Jon Healey. MP Elizabeth May had just opened our Level 2 charger at ArtSpring and a few vendors had displayed their models. Not a lot of action and not much momentum.
Where are we today ? The highest density in Canada with over 75 EVs in a population of just over 10,000, which is a startling 14 times the average EV ownership across the nation. There are notable implications for that ownership. First, BC Ferries transports over 85,000 litres of fuel per year less and our air is cleaner since we are no longer producing over 275 tonnes of greenhouse gases through burning in internal combustion engines.
Oh, and those 85,000 litres of fuel we don’t use also no longer require carbon-intensive exploration, mining (carbon and water intensive), transportation (carbon intensive), refining in locations perhaps as far away as China (carbon intensive) then transporting to our pumps. Instead we use inexpensive hydro which is transferred over an existing industrial grid and is well over 90% clean and renewable in BC. I am so proud of these figures.
How Did This All Happen?
We focused on metrics. As the numbers began to grow, we initially wanted to answer the question ‘How many are there now?’ So we started a database to track the owners. This allowed us to answer that question, and eventually address many others. How many red Nissan Leafs are there? Nine. What is the most popular EV? Nissan Leaf, 46 or 62%. Can we calculate our total GHG emission reductions? Can we calculate how many oil changes are no longer required? In other words, we could use our gathered metrics to reliably and accurately measure our progress.
We did a survey of our owners to determine their average annual driving distance. We consulted statistic tables to determine the average litres/kilometres driven. We knew the number of cars, so presto, 7,000 litres of fuel per month are no longer required to be shipped to our island. Each additional EV entering our island fleet increases that number and we can quickly calculate the overall effect.
We made connections. Every owner of an EV is given a ‘Charging Station Etiquette Card’ and encouraged to join Transition Salt Spring. We have monthly Green Drinks discussions and talking over coffee is what we do. These connections inspired a community of similar minded folks. And they helped to spread the word.
We became a Transmission Town. Salt Spring Island has been a transition town for many years and that gave us an umbrella organization to work on transportation solutions, more local produce, community gardens, highschool solar panels (now supporting an eco-scholarship program), a unique local abattoir and many others. All of which support the transition to a low carbon economy. We focused on celebration. We get involved with Canada Day, Earth Day and our own unique events like our Energy Conferences and ECO Home Tour. In 2015, we had an EV Show that drew 20% of its attendance from off-island and injected over $10,000 into the local economy. This show sold 10 EVs to islanders, worth an estimated total of $300,000. We focused on partnering and collaboration. We built relationships with our automotive and charging friends, Motorize Auto Direct, Campus Nissan and Sun Country Highways to support seven free-to-use Level 2 chargers: at Island Savings, Country Grocer, Moby’s Marine Pub and Oyster Bar , and at The Fernwood Cafe/Pura Vida Massage.
Our partners have been rewarded from their association with us. Locals and tourists are also happy. Yes, all of those helped, but they were not the key. And so I backed up and replayed the mental tape and looked for the core ingredients. There were two. It came down to an island with caring people. As an island we are effectively an earth in miniature. We see the results of our actions and thus, we recycle and compost like crazy. Our visible limits give us an awareness of the fragility of the planet and make us ultra-sensitive to how our actions affect the environment. We saw that the EVs can make a huge difference. We are also aware from our many local initiatives over the 5years, that a few kind-hearted folks can make a big difference; folks like Peter Lamb and Andrew Haigh. They believed in the mission, took the first steps to buy or make an EV, and provided the ongoing information and gentle encouragement.
Can a few individuals change the world for the better? I’ll let the reader decide.
Reprint from ISLAND TIDES, July 14, 2016