BINDA: David Eby’s plan to ban gas-powered cars and trucks

Carson Binda is the B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers FederationPremier David Eby must slam the brakes on his ban on new gas and diesel vehicles because it’s driving British Columbians toward outrageously expensive bills. British Columbians can’t afford Eby’s vehicle ban. And with the first mandates rolling out in 2026, this election might be the last chance to stop it. B.C.’s Zero Emission Vehicle Act is a provincial law which forces automakers to sell a certain percentage of zero emission vehicles (ZEV) every year. Twenty-six per cent of light duty vehicles sold in B.C. must be ZEVs by 2026, according to the act. By 2030, only 10 per cent of the vehicles that British Columbians buy can be gas or diesel powered. By 2035, we won’t be able to buy any new gas or diesel vehicles at all. If Eby gets his way, a British Columbian who wants to buy anything other than a new ZEV may be out of luck. Failure to comply with the ban could result in fines and penalties of up to $100,000. British Columbians deserve to be able to choose what vehicle works best for them and their families.And then there are practical concerns. How is B.C. going to create enough electricity to power all of the new ZEVs that Eby is mandating we buy? A ZEV uses 4,500 kWh of electricity every year, on average. There are currently about 3.3 million gas and diesel vehicles in B.C. If there were 3.3 million ZEVs in B.C., we would need to produce an extra 14,777 GWh per year to power them. The Site C Dam will produce around 5,100 GWh of electricity per year once it’s fully online. That means we would need to build the equivalent of three new Site C Dams just to charge ZEVs. Building those dams would cost about $48 billion, based on the $16 billion cost of Site C. Divided that by the population of B.C. and that cost shakes out to $8,500 per British Columbian. But, with British Columbian households already feeling the pinch, who can afford an extra $8,500 to pay for Eby’s ZEV pipe dream? British Columbians and their businesses are expected to pay $49 billion in taxes this year. If the province wanted to get shovels in the ground tomorrow, just building the dams needed for the Eby’s ban would require the province to raise its tax take.And that’s before even thinking about the new substations, power lines, charging stations and all the other infrastructure that would be needed. Here’s the kicker, B.C. is already importing electricity because we can’t meet the demands of a growing province. Last year, B.C. imported 10,000 gigawatts of electricity. When we already have to import electricity, how are we going to pay for the power stations to charge all these battery-powered cars? People aren’t buying this plan. Three-in-five Canadians oppose the federal ban on the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles, according to a recent poll.In Western Canada, that number is even higher. Here, two-in-three oppose the ban. If Eby thinks he can bulldoze forward with his ban on new cars and trucks, he needs a reality check.British Columbians can’t afford a ban on new gas and diesel vehicles. Carson Binda is the B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

BINDA: David Eby’s plan to ban gas-powered cars and trucks

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