Consider an Electric Vehicle
Apr. 27/21
Change for Climate is a climate change initiative from the City of Edmonton.
Apr. 27/21
Change for Climate is a climate change initiative from the City of Edmonton.
If you need a vehicle, consider an electric one with the help of available incentives
In Edmonton, transportation is responsible for 30% of our GHG emissions and 42% of our energy use. Our transportation choices are key to reducing our impact on climate change and the best way to do this is to walk, cycle and take public transit. But if you need a vehicle to move around, consider an electric vehicle (EV) over an internal combustion engine (gas/diesel).
Besides the environmental benefits of EVs (such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality), in the long run EVs will save you money as they require less maintenance than an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, no oil changes, no gas and you can charge them at home. However, the upfront cost can be a barrier. For this reason the federal government has an incentive of $5,000 to purchase zero emission vehicles (like EVs), as well as a tax write-off for businesses. Check out the list of eligible vehicles.
To help Edmonton homeowners and businesses install EV chargers on their properties, the City is providing a rebate for Level 2 charging stations until May 31, 2021 (or until budget is expensed, whichever comes first). The rebates cover up to 50% of the cost of the charger and installation to a maximum of $600 for residential properties and $2,000 for commercial locations or large multi-unit residential buildings. The chargers must be installed by a licensed master electrician, use a breaker not greater than 40 amp and have relevant permitting. Please submit an application for pre-approval before purchasing a charger.
Edmonton has over 70 publicly accessible charging stations and you can find the closest charging station by visiting Plugshare or ChargeHub.
Driving an EV in Alberta has been estimated to reduce emissions by up to 41% compared to an ICE vehicle and that percentage is expected to increase to up to 74% as Alberta’s electric grid gets greener.1 Considering life-cycle emissions, EVs have shown to offset their excess manufacturing emissions within the first 6-16 months of operation due to the absence of tailpipe emissions.2
For more information please visit edmonton.ca/electricvehicles.
