City not yet fully charged on electric cars

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

For the City of Oshawa, there is still a bit of sticker shock when it comes to looking at an investment into electric vehicles.

Following a review by city staff, the investment to replace city vehicles with electric cars, at this point, just doesn’t make sense financially.

Currently, the city owns 37 light-duty passenger vehicles, 27 of which are up for renewal or replacement in the next year. However, there isn’t enough data or incentives for the city to responsibly move toward electric cars.

For the report, city staff investigated a variety of electric vehicles ranging in costs from the Mitsubish i-Miev at $28,000, to the pricey Tesla Model S at $95,300.

With that noted, there is the matter of a council direction from 1995 that stipulates the city must purchase GM products for vehicles one ton and under.

For that reason, staff note that the only option for electric cars to the city is the Chevrolet Bolt, the price tag for which sits at $43,200. Even with a provincial incentive, which could net the city approximately $14,000 in rebates for purchasing the greener car, it would only cost the city $18,000 for a Chevrolet Cruze which could serve the same purpose.

The options are also slim to none when it comes to replacing the large majority of the city’s pick-up trucks as well as those vehicles used by the municipal law enforcement officers, which require a police upgrade package.

The switch to electric cars will also require a “considerable” investment in infrastructure for charging stations, and currently, the lack of historical data makes estimating the potential savings in fuel and maintenance costs unreliable.

The report also notes that the city will be in a much better position to evaluate the feasibility of electric cars in three years time.

“The obvious benefits are the environmental justification and stewardship towards zero emissions… However, the transition towards electric vehicles within the City’s fleet must be done within the existing asset replacement schedule and process,” the report reads. “The business predictions are that by the year 2020, the industry will be making commercial electric vehicles more affordable, reliable, and accessible. Staff will continue to monitor the market and suitability of electric vehicles as assets come up for renewal to ensure a transition that is responsible and appropriate given the needs of the various clients and the timing of the existing fleet replacement program.”

For Councillor John Shields, he says that the investment needs to make sense before moving forward.

“At this point, we don’t want to pay a premium or move forward on something too early just to say we have one,” he says.

However, other councillors felt that perhaps the city should be taking more proactive measures.

“We are a progressive city, we are an environmentally conscious council. I think we have to more forward and indicate to our good citizens that we are a progressive city that wants to protect the environment,” said Councillor John Aker.

The same was said by Councillor Amy McQuaid-England.

“I think we need to be a little bit more proactive in this approach,” she said, adding that the city should be meeting with General Motors to inform them of their desire to transition to electric vehicles.