B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver is digging his way out of a social media blizzard after a Vancouver radio station segment on how to cope with record gasoline prices.
He said he canB次元官网网址檛 keep up with the Twitter tags and responses heB次元官网网址檚 had since he discussed the costs of driving a conventional vehicle and the growing number of people who are moving on to transit or zero-emission options.
Did he really suggest that people take out a second mortgage to buy an electric car?
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 creative interpretation of what I actually said,B次元官网网址� Weaver said in an interview at his B.C. legislature office Thursday.
A former university lecturer not given to sound-bite answers, Weaver said he laid out the options for people who are looking at enormous commuting costs, and describing electric vehicle options that are improving every year.
I often get asked how 2 make EVs more affordable. Here's a simple calculation. A used 2015 170km range Nissan Leaf at $15,000 funded 100% with a 5-year amortized 5% loan = monthly payment of $317. U'll pay nothing 4 maintenance & gas. So you'll save money every month.
B次元官网网址� Andrew Weaver (@AJWVictoriaBC)
He does advocate that people consider borrowing to buy an electric vehicle, and installing a charger at home. Weaver took advantage of the program, which provides free home chargers for the cost of installation. When heB次元官网网址檚 heading up-Island from his Oak Bay home, he uses one of the expanding network of fast-charge stations that allows him to recharge in Nanaimo in 15 minutes, paying 35 cents per kilowatt-hour.
B次元官网网址淚t costs me about two bucks to go from here to Qualicum Beach,B次元官网网址� he said.
Weaver is taking his own advice, trading in his last gasoline vehicle for a new electric SUV, which has a range of 415 km on a charge and is eligible for a provincial rebate of $5,000. These days a used electric car can be had for $15,000, and the low maintenance and battery life have been clearly demonstrated, he said.
WeaverB次元官网网址檚 other message to people looking at gasoline prices of more than $1.70 a litre is to consider the annual ritual of summer increases.
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B次元官网网址淚 would suggest that the excuse of the B次元官网网址榮ummer driving seasonB次元官网网址� leading to refinery scheduled maintenance is beginning to wear thin on me and others, as itB次元官网网址檚 beginning to look like a self-fulfilling prophesy that prices go up in the summer because of the fact that we expect them to.B次元官网网址�
Big oil companies are increasingly shipping heavy crude down the Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to Washington refineries they own, then selling the fuel back to B.C. at inflated prices, a refinery markup twice as big as the rest of Canada, he said.
B次元官网网址淭o me itB次元官网网址檚 madness that weB次元官网网址檙e trying to prop up a sunset industry,B次元官网网址� Weaver said. B次元官网网址淎nd I think itB次元官网网址檚 madness that weB次元官网网址檙e not seeing this gouging as anything other than an opportunity to say, OK, enough is enough. I donB次元官网网址檛 want to participate in that.
B次元官网网址淧eople can walk more. They can car pool.B次元官网网址�
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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