Doug Beckett charges his electric vehicle

By Tommy Osborne

Electric Vehicle Support

Electric vehicle association call for more supports amid looming election

Apr 2, 2025 | 5:45 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – As the federal election gets closer, electric vehicle associations across the country are calling for more government supports from whichever party ends up winning the election.

“The big issue that we need to deal with is the medium and heavy duty vehicles. They probably are about 10% of the vehicles on the road in British Columbia, but they emit over 50% of the particulates associated with transportation into the air shed. Their adoption is a little slower than with light vehicles, it’s a little harder to find the vehicles that can do the work that’s needed, so we need continued government support to make sure that the medium and heavy duty vehicles are able to transition into electric more, before the supports are pulled back on those vehicles,” said the Prince George Electric Vehicle Association’s founder Doug Beckett.

The number of 100% battery electric vehicles in Calgary has skyrocketed, going from 49,000 in 2019 to more than 600,000 today. In order to meet rising demand and prepare for a market that is growing rapidly, Beckett, alongside the Electric Vehicle Associations and Owner Groups of Canada, believe the next government must be ready to support EV adoption and production.

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“It is important that the new government advances policies to enable all Canadian residents and businesses to share in the economic, environmental, and health benefits of electric vehicles,” a press release from the Owner Group of Canada said.

How can this be done? Beckett said there are several cost saving policies that could help EV adoption be more feasible, such as waiving GST for new and used EVs, maintain rebates, and create more tax incentives for both EV production and purchasing. Another big one would be interacting more with the global markets, particularly China, as China has seen substantial growth in the EV world.

“We’d like to see, over four years, the tariffs be reduced from the vehicles in China. That gives enough time for the North American automobile manufacturers to transition, increase their production, and be ready for the competition. But then it allows the consumer to buy a variety of makes and models of electric vehicles at much less cost,” Beckett said.

While more EVs would mean less emissions, leading to a greener carbon footprint, Beckett says the benefits are about more than just the environment.

“Across Canada, about 15,000 people die prematurely every year because of air pollution. Transportation is not all of that, but it’s a good portion of that, and that equates to $120 billion of associated health costs and economic impact. So there’s huge economic reasons and health reasons to make sure those heavy duty vehicles, medium duty vehicles, go electric,” he said.

As an EV owner in Prince George, Beckett adds it’s feasible to own one, even when battling northern B.C.’s frigid winters.

“They start in cold weather when gas and diesels don’t, you have 30 degree celsius heat coming in to the people when it’s -40, so you have very quick heat and comfort, which makes them nice. Generally you don’t use an ice scraper because they defrost so quickly,” he said.

While it’s true that EVs do have less range when it gets cold, Beckett says he personally hasn’t had any major issues with that, as he charges his car at home. And even if you don’t there are enough EV charging stations that you can charge your car when driving long distances.

“You can go from Prince Rupert, Alaska, down to Vancouver and all through the States, no problem.”

As more charging stations are built across the province and northern B.C., it’s expected that EVs could grow increasingly popular as accessibility gets easier.

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