FILE PHOTO.

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

Kamloops City Council will be looking to bring more electric vehicles and e-bikes to Kamloops, making sustainable transport the new norm.  

If the EV and E-Bike Strategy is approved in council Aug. 25, residents can expect to see charging stations in newly constructed off-street residential parking by 2023 and residential, workplace and public stations by 2030.

The transportation sector accounts for 66 per cent of community greenhouse gas emissions, so adopting and encouraging electric vehicles and e-bike use will help to achieve the City’s climate action goals, according to the report submitted to council.

To fund the initiative, the report proposed using grant funding wherever available, and request funds from the City’s Climate Action Fund reserve.

A survey was conducted on Let's Talk Kamloops asking residents what they thought the biggest challenges of electric vehicle adoption would be. The most common answer was the high cost of purchasing one.

However, the report states that expense is not expected to be a barrier, citing a decline in electric vehicle costs towards parity with regular cars. 

The cost of an e-bike, on the other hand, ranges from $1,000 to over $6,000.

The report acknowledges the high cost, but notes that it is comparatively affordable when an e-bike is used to replace a vehicle. 

The City plans to have 40 per cent of the population using sustainable modes of transportation for commuting to work by 2040. 

To achieve this, staff will look to expedite the development of a connected bicycle network and aim to meet the needs of all electric vehicles drivers for publicly accessible charging by 2025. Secure e-bike charging and parking stations will also be a priority. 

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