The Town of Smithers is piloting its first battery plug-in electric vehicle (EV).
A level 2 WallBox EV charger was installed at the Town Hall fleet parking lot to allow effective on-site charging of this unit. The CleanBC Go Electric Fleet Charging Infrastructure Program is preapproved to cover 75 per cent of installation and equipment costs.
“This was in replacement of the 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan, recreation van, and we received this vehicle at the end of 2023,” said the town’s Climate Action Specialist Jaima Timler. “It was a great opportunity to bring in an EV so we could closely monitor it through those minus 40-degree temperatures that we’ve had through this winter. Reports have come back with no negative experiences on the hold of a charge through these temperatures. It’s all been very positive.”
Timler told Smithers town council at the Feb 27 council meeting that so far, it has been deemed a successful pilot, and it’s responsible for evading over 200 kilograms of CO2 since January. She also added that when the charger was installed at town hall, cable was also laid for a second one to save money in the future.
Timler also explained that a fleet assessment of 31 of the town’s light and medium/heavy-duty fleet units will be conducted with the installation of telematics technology—otherwise known as GPS to collect data such as: idle time, vehicle speed, odometer updates, fuel usage and efficiency and carbon emissions calculations etc.
She said this information will be used to improve overall fleet management, optimize utilization of fleet vehicles and identify transition opportunities to zero-emissions vehicles. The purchase of telematics units and 12 months of subscription fees are supported through CleanBC Go Electric Fleet Assessment, pre-approved for 50 per cent of eligible costs. Timler also noted that staff have worked to ensure internal privacy and technological change requirements are met prior to telematics installation.
The Town of Smithers hired a Climate Action Specialist in the fall of 2022 to implement the 2021 Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP.) Timler gave her quarterly update to council last week.
The CEEP was completed in 2021 in collaboration with the Community Energy Association, community members and the town. It aims to carve a path toward a low carbon future for the town and sets a Greenhouse Gas Emissions reduction target of 40 per cent below 2007 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
The emissions reduction strategies identified in the CEEP target three broad categories: Transportation, Buildings, and Waste. Emissions reduction strategies have been selected from each of these categories based on the CEEP’s suggested schedule and their potential impact on emissions reduction and the community’s needs.
READ MORE:Town of Smithers hires a Climate Action Specialist
