J1. Green Tech Industry & Utilities

As the solar and energy storage industries continue to evolve, new technologies are reshaping how homeowners generate, store, and utilize electricity. One of the most promising yet still unfamiliar solutions is vehicle-to-home (V2H), an idea that has existed for over a decade but is only now becoming practical.

Electrical Vehicle (EV) adoption in the United States has grown rapidly. EVs reached more than 1.2 million sales in 2024, and represented about 7.5% of light-duty vehicle sales in the second quarter of 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).1

According to a recent Edmunds article,2 used EVs are selling faster than used internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, at approximately 34 days to sell, compared with used ICE automobiles, which are averaging 43 days.

However, now that the U.S. government is no longer providing tax incentives, the number of new EV sales is already declining in 2026 (though there is no sign of decline in other countries).

Typical V2H configuration with Solar and ESS. © Baker Makarem

As EV battery capacities increase, many homeowners are beginning to see their vehicles not only as transportation, but also as a potentially substantial backup power resource.

Before looking at how V2H works, I will briefly clarify the different types of electric vehicles:

• Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) run entirely on electricity and are charged by the grid or a solar-powered home system.
• Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) combine a gasoline engine with a smaller battery that is charged internally, either by regenerative braking or the alternator.
• Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are a mix of both BEV and HEV and have larger batteries than the HEV, and can also be charged from an external source.

Almost in parallel with EV growth, more homeowners are installing rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems. One study found that roughly one in four EV owners also own solar,3 which is a natural pairing, since both technologies allow households to reduce emissions, cost, and gain greater energy independence.

How Does Vehicle-to-Home Actually Work?

Vehicle-to-home relies on bidirectional charging, as opposed to a typical EV charging setup, in which electricity flows only one way, from the home or grid into the vehicle.

A bidirectional charger, however, allows electricity to move in either direction. When needed, or also when electricity rates are high, the EV battery can discharge energy back into the home or back to the grid to be sold.

Several major automakers now support or plan to support bidirectional capability in the U.S. market. These include GM, with several EV models such as Silverado, Equinox, Bolt, Hummer, and Cadillac; Ford with the F150 Lightning, Tesla with the Cybertruck, Hyundai with their IONIQ family, and many others. There will also soon be ways to retrofit existing EVs for this purpose.

The functionality depends not only on the vehicle, but also on the charger, inverter, and home electrical configuration. In all cases, the home must include means to safely isolate the house from the utility grid during backup operation, so as not to harm linemen during an outage. Here’s how it works: in normal grid operation, the EV is charged via the grid. In an outage, the microgrid interconnection device (MID) switches to backup mode, powering only what is in the backup section (the homeowner can choose how much of the house needs to be backed up). The dark start battery (DSB) powers the components to keep communication, while waiting for the EV to plug in and the customer to initiate the backup mode.

Put simply, the EV battery serves as a temporary home power source, similar to a stationary home battery. Because EV batteries are often much larger than typical residential storage systems, one fully charged vehicle can supply a home for many hours, sometimes even multiple days, depending on usage and the support of additional sources such as a rooftop solar system.

There is also another advantage: using the battery to sell electricity back to the grid. Homeowners who live in a region where the utility charges time-of-use (TOU) prices, the homeowner can fill up at night when there is less demand for electricity, or in some places, such as California, where there is an abundance of solar keeping prices down, and then send (and sell) power back to the grid when demand is high and more expensive.

Why V2H Matters for Resilience

Power outages are becoming more frequent in many parts of the country due to severe storms, grid congestion, and wildfire-related shutoffs. Nationally, the average outage lasts about 11 hours,4 although the duration can be much higher in certain states and during extreme weather events.

There are states such as South Carolina where the average duration of interruption is greater than 50 hours, and the number of interruptions is close to two and a half days.

Traditionally, homeowners seeking backup power have relied on diesel or gasoline generators. More recently, stationary lithium-ion storage systems alone or paired with rooftop solar have become popular. V2H adds a new option: using the battery you already drive.

For homeowners who already own an EV, V2H could:

• reduce or eliminate the need for generators
• provide quiet, clean backup power
• complement rooftop solar
• improve household energy independence

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Average annual total electric power interruptions by state (2024). retrieved from EIA,In Brief Analysis: Hurricanes in 2024 led to the most hours without power in the United States in 10 years; https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=66744, January 5, 2026. © eia

And because EV batteries range widely in size, from about 60 kWh in many BEVs to even higher capacities in some models, they can store significantly more energy than the average stationary home battery. Also, of course, it does not have to be fixed to one place. If the battery runs low, the homeowner has the option to drive to a nearby functioning supercharger, leaving the house without power for only a short time.

Additionally, and from an emissions standpoint, battery-electric vehicles produce roughly 70–80% fewer lifetime CO₂ emissions than conventional gasoline vehicles, depending on the regional electricity mix. Plug-in hybrids typically provide moderate reductions as well. HEV is approximately 45% less, and a PHEV is 63% less.5

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price: Electricity per Kilowatt-Hour in U.S. City Average [APU000072610], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU000072610, January 5, 2026. © FRED

Facts and Studies: What Research Says About Costs

Readers often ask: How much does owning an electric vehicle really cost, and how does V2H change the equation? When compared with fueling and maintaining a conventional gasoline vehicle, the difference is substantial. So, while EV drivers do buy more electricity, their total fuel, maintenance, and time spent is significantly lower.

A simple real-world comparison illustrates this further. One road test reported that an electric pickup truck traveled 400 miles using 204 kWh of stored energy.6 Using the U.S. average residential electricity rate of $0.188 per kWh,7 that full charge would cost: 204 kWh × $0.188/kWh = $38.35.

It is important to note that the average price of electricity has increased from 2020 to 2025 by approximately 40%, and is expected to continue to rise.

The gasoline version of the same truck has a 24-gallon tank. At an average retail gasoline price of $3.2288 per gallon, filling the tank would cost $77.47.

There are additional cost savings associated with electric cars. EVs do not need oil changes, and due to regenerative braking, where the motor slows the car, rather than brake pads only, EVs need many fewer brake replacements. Additionally, EV motors have between 20 and 50 moving parts, versus over 1,000 for ICE cars. With a lot fewer parts, there are a lot fewer, and costly, things to go wrong.

Here it can be seen that the average price of gas has increased from 2020 to 2025 by approximately 75%.

A recent peer-reviewed study examining EV ownership over a 15-year vehicle lifetime shows that Vehicle-to-home charging can cut costs and greenhouse gas emissions across the USA. The study found that adding a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) increases the typical household electricity bill by about $6,300 over that period,9 but that is still significantly less than the cost of fuel for a regular gas vehicle.

When vehicle-to-home capability is added, the financial benefits expand. Research modeling V2H use across U.S. households suggests that using an EV battery to offset home electricity consumption, particularly during peak-rate periods or grid outages, can yield additional savings averaging about $3,800 over 15 years.10 These values do not take into consideration the potential savings from an outage (remember the last time you had an outage and had to throw away everything in the fridge and the freezer?)

In short:

• EVs cost less to fuel than gasoline vehicles
• EV charging increases household electricity use, but at a net savings
• V2H adds an additional layer of value by reducing grid electricity purchases
• Time of Use (TOU) also allows the consumer to “fill up” when rates are low and sell back when rates are high

And when paired with rooftop solar, V2H allows households to store excess daytime generation for later use, improving self-consumption and resilience.

Opportunities and Areas for Improvement

Think back to the size of PV modules years ago and how they have lately improved in wattage and footprint. What about how heavy lithium-ion energy storage systems used to be? Believe me when I say they were very heavy, and I hope my chiropractor doesn’t read this!

Vehicle-to-home capability is a promising technology, and several major automakers have now embraced it. This is good news for both consumers and the renewable energy industry.

When V2H is paired with rooftop solar, and optionally with stationary battery storage, homeowners gain more control over both their energy costs and their resilience during outages.

Bi-directional charging setup. © Baker Makarem

Additionally, as the technology becomes more common, there are several important opportunities for even more improvement.

Broader Access Across Vehicle Models

Today, V2H capability is more often limited to higher-priced, premium-trim EVs. Expanding this functionality across all EV segments, including mid-market models, would help ensure that energy resilience is not restricted only to higher-income buyers. Affordability remains a key factor in EV adoption, and widespread V2H deployment will depend on inclusive pricing strategies.

Enabling Flexible Self-Consumption

Another opportunity lies in enabling EV batteries to support household electricity needs during normal operation, not only during outages. For example, a home with rooftop solar could charge an EV during the day and then use that stored energy in the evening, when rates are higher, and the vehicle is available.

In a household with two EVs, where each car is only in use part of the time, a smart energy-management system could draw stored solar energy from whichever vehicle is available. This would:

• improve renewable-energy utilization
• reduce reliance on the grid during peak periods
• potentially lower the size and cost of stationary energy storage systems (ESS)

Open Standards and Interoperability

Today, some V2H systems are closely tied to proprietary home-energy ecosystems. For homeowners with a solar installation, retrofitting a brand-specific V2H product can add cost and complexity.

Allowing EVs and chargers from different manufacturers to communicate and interact at the bidirectional level would:

• allow V2H systems to integrate with existing PV installations
• reduce hardware compatibility barriers
• give consumers greater freedom of choice
• lower system costs over time

This approach treats the EV more like a universal “battery on wheels,” rather than a product locked inside a single ecosystem.

Real-World Example

Imagine a household with two EVs. A severe storm is forecast, and nearby family members, who already have rooftop solar, lack backup storage. With interoperable V2H systems, the homeowner could temporarily connect one vehicle to power the home during an extended outage and lend the second vehicle to the other home.

This type of clean, mobile backup could avoid the need for a fossil fuel generator or the cost of installing a stationary ESS with smaller capacity — potentially saving $10,000 or more in hardware and installation.

Giving consumers that flexibility allows the technology, as well as the market supporting it, to grow naturally.

Economic Factors Shaping the Future of V2H and EV Adoption

Economic policy plays a central role in how quickly new energy technologies are adopted. Recent federal tax credits for EV purchases in the U.S. helped accelerate market growth, but their expiration in 2025 may signal a new phase, one focused on affordability and cost reduction rather than incentive-driven demand.

In theory, tax credits can stimulate technology adoption, and with that, research into technology improvements. However, credits may also allow manufacturers to maintain higher pricing, as part of the purchase cost is absorbed by public support.

When incentives decline, market competition often shifts toward lowering production costs and expanding access. This dynamic may help explain why several major automakers are now refocusing on lower-cost EVs, hybrids, and plug-in hybrid models.

These U.S. EV manufacturers that provide V2H (Ford, Tesla, Kia, GM) did not start with lower-cost EVs from the beginning, as other countries did.

Another factor influencing EV pricing is the tariff structure applied to imported components and materials. As economist Thomas Sowell notes in Basic Economics, tariffs tend to raise the final cost of consumer goods by shielding domestic producers from lower-priced competition.

Ultimately, these costs are borne by end users, including EV buyers. As the industry matures, tariffs and trade policy will continue to affect affordability and, thereby, adoption speed.

If you cannot compete, then allow other manufacturers to provide their products and learn from them.

What the Next Phase May Look Like

In the near term, smaller, lower-cost EVs equipped with V2H capability may represent an important bridge technology. This model is particularly well-suited to urban areas where daily driving distances are modest, charging access is common, and electricity costs are above the national average, particularly in places that have Time of Use prices.

In these settings, pairing a compact EV with rooftop PV and maybe also a modest stationary ESS can deliver meaningful economic and resilience benefits.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) may also play a role. With battery capacities now ranging from roughly 10 kWh to as high as 70 kWh in some new global models, PHEVs can offer both electric-driving capability and long-range flexibility.

If V2H functionality becomes standard across PHEV offerings, households in regions with limited charging infrastructure could still benefit from bidirectional energy use.

Bi-directional charging setup. © Baker Makarem

Incentives Beyond Federal Policy

Even as federal EV purchase credits phase out, state and utility-level incentives remain active across much of the country.

For example:

• Arizona Public Service offers programs such as EV Charging Assistant Rewards, which adjust charging schedules to align with renewable generation and grid needs, providing both sign-up and monthly participation credits.
• The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency continues to provide rebates for qualified buyers of new or used all-electric vehicles.
• Many utilities nationwide now offer off-peak charging rebates or TOU rate incentives, further lowering operating costs for EV owners.

These programs encourage smart-charging practices that align well with V2H, where vehicles are viewed not only as transportation assets but as flexible energy resources. This also allows utilities to study energy consumption for better forecasting of their power generation.

Looking Forward

As the EV and solar industries evolve, several questions will shape the next decade:

• Will V2H become a standard feature across vehicle classes?
• How quickly will open interoperability standards expand consumer choice?
• Will the combination of EVs, rooftop solar, and smart charging reshape how households think about energy independence?

What seems increasingly clear is that vehicle-to-home capability strengthens the connection between transportation and clean energy, turning the EV into a cornerstone of resilient, distributed power.

About the Authors
Baker Makarem is a Mechanical Engineer and NABCEP-certified ESIP, PVIP, and PVSI. He is the founder of Bakertech, a company specialized in the photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage systems (ESS) industry. He has been in the renewable energy field since 2017.

Carla Monzer previously worked as a marketing consultant in a global market research firm providing consumer, industry, and market intelligence. She is currently a PhD student in Marketing at the University of South Florida. Her research interests focus on sustainability, with particular attention to renewable energy and its interaction with
consumer behavior.

Sources:

1. tinyurl.com/global-ev-outlook
2. tinyurl.com/edmunds-2025
3. tinyurl.com/doi-ev-pv-nexus
4. tinyurl.com/eia-todayinenergy
5. tinyurl.com/afdc-emissions
6. tinyurl.com/car-and-driver-range
7. tinyurl.com/fred-APU000072610
8. tinyurl.com/fred-APU000074714
9. tinyurl.com/natures41560-025-01894-7
10. tinyurl.com/2025-big-three

A pioneering collaboration between UAB Sustainability and Huffman High School is giving students hands-on experience in solar technology while expanding Alabama’s model for resilient, off-grid communities.

Students at Huffman High School in Birmingham are building a solar-powered tiny home — a first-of-its-kind collaboration for the University of Alabama at Birmingham aimed at preparing teens for careers in construction and renewable energy. The tiny home will connect to the university’s Solar House microgrid.

The UAB Solar House itself began as a competition entry for the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2017 Solar Decathlon. Designed and constructed by Alabama college students to maximize energy efficiency in Alabama’s hot, humid climate without sacrificing comfort, livability, and style, the 1,000-square-foot home is powered by the sun.

After the competition, the house was moved back to UAB’s campus where it was “islanded,” meaning it was not tied to the city’s electrical grid. Instead, it houses its own remote microgrid for energy storage.

The partnership between UAB Sustainability and Huffman’s Academy of Architecture to build the tiny house is part of Phase 2 of the Solar House and Sustainable Community project, which received funding from EBSCO (“Elton Bryson Stephens, Company”) in 2019. The project’s goal is to expand the off-grid solar-powered community and to model resilient, self-sufficient, and regenerative communities for the Southeast.

According to Bambi Ingram, Chief Sustainability Officer at UAB and the lead for both this project and The UAB Solar House, “The UAB Solar House and Sustainable Community demonstrates the potential for resilient technology to reshape communities. By training high school and college students to do this work, we are empowering the next generation to create spaces that work for them.”

The UAB Solar House’s backyard. © The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Through the partnership with Huffman’s Academy of Architecture, the project is providing critically important workforce development opportunities in Birmingham, where more than 25% of residents live in poverty. Huffman High School is the largest school in the Birmingham City Schools system, and serves a 98% minority student body.1, 2 Huffman’s students are learning practical skills that will pave the way for future success in fields like construction, solar installation, and electrical engineering.

According to their construction teacher Jacques Dean, ”Because of our partnership with the UAB Solar House, our students are learning to plan, design and install residential solar. That’s a valuable skill set and will make them even more competitive for jobs in the construction industry.”

Students in the Academy of Architecture program choose one of three pathways: Design and Preconstruction, Construction, or Maintenance and Operations. The academy opens the pathways to steady careers in countless fields, including drafting design, welding, electrical technology, heating, HVACR, carpentry, cabinetmaking, masonry, plumbing, and pipefitting. The program is affiliated with the National Academy Foundation (NAF), a leader in the movement to prepare young people for college and career success.

Bambi Ingram, Chief Sustainability Officer at UAB, says: ”We are looking forward to welcoming even more visitors to our community so that we can share our experience of what does and does not work in creating and managing off-grid projects. It’s an exciting collaborative venture that has the potential to be of great service to the region.”

Since 2021, the house has served as the center of UAB Sustainability’s Solar House and Sustainable Community project. It has functioned as a living lab and center of environmental education for residents of and visitors to Central Alabama. Countless K-12 groups, college classes, and local community groups and nonprofits have toured and used the space to engage in educational opportunities related to solar power, renewable energy,
and sustainability.

The Solar House and Sustainable Community is located at 1637 11th Ave S and is open to the general public for educational tours.

The tiny home is expected to be completed by March 2026 and integrated into the community by year’s end.

About the Author
David Kirby is a passionate environmentalist and sophomore BSW student at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. David works for UAB Sustainability as the coordinator of the UAB Solar House, which has participated as a site for the annual ASES National Solar Tour since 2021.

VANCOUVER — The ongoing tariff drama created by President Donald Trump has turned economic diversification into a national imperative for America’s northern neighbour.

Fortunately, Canada has trade agreements with 60% of the global economy, making it well positioned to lessen its reliance on U.S. markets. But as Canadian governments and companies look to make strategic and long-term investment decisions with these trading partners in mind, Canada must accurately assess where their economies are headed.

Accordingly, a new Clean Energy Canada analysis finds that among Canada’s 10 largest non-U.S. trade partners, all of them have net-zero commitments and carbon pricing systems, and roughly half apply carbon border adjustments on imports and have domestic EV requirements reshaping their car markets.

Taken together, these measures send a clear, unmistakable signal. Carbon border adjustments, for example, levy a charge based on the carbon intensity of a good’s production and therefore incentivize low-carbon products from importing nations like Canada.

Meanwhile, the existence of a carbon price and a requirement for more EVs means that a market is weaning itself off fossil fuels, and thus demand for oil and gas will see a decline, while interest in clean energy imports and low-carbon products will increase.

A number of think tanks and business groups have analyzed and identified opportunities in Canada’s clean economy, including but not limited to clean electricity generation and transmission, critical minerals, EVs and batteries, low-carbon heavy industry, and value-added agricultural and forest products, all of which are explored in the report.

To realize Canada’s potential, federal and provincial governments should take a number of important steps, including:

• accelerating regulatory and permitting processes for clean growth projects,
• recognizing green collar worker credentials across provinces,
• accelerating the build-out of critical trade, energy, and transportation infrastructure,
• prioritizing interprovincial electricity grid interties in strategic regions,
• supporting demand for clean goods that benefit Canadian suppliers,
• and promoting Canadian businesses abroad and Canada as a destination for investment under the banner of a “Clean Canada” brand.

As The World Next Door concludes, seizing the clean economic opportunity is not about starting over, but about leveraging pre-existing industries and advantages in a way that sets Canada up for a sustainable future.

RESOURCES

Report | The World Next Door

The post Canada’s 10 largest non-U.S. trade partners focused on building clean economies, and Canada can deliver: report appeared first on Clean Energy Canada.

TORONTO — As Canada moves forward with plans to build millions of new homes, the carbon emissions associated with the materials that make up houses and other major infrastructure are substantial. But a new Clean Energy Canada report released today finds that building with lower-carbon materials and methods doesn’t need to make housing more expensive—and even has the added benefit of supporting Canadian industries at a time of high tariffs and trade tension.

Manufacturing the construction materials that make up our buildings, from the concrete foundations to the drywall, creates significant carbon pollution. Meeting the previous federal government’s housing plan (which would support nearly four million houses by 2030) was expected to generate the equivalent of more than a year’s worth of Canada’s total emissions by 2030.

Thankfully there are a number of cleaner material options, many of which are made in Canada, from steel produced in Electric Arc Furnaces to low-carbon concrete mixes. This report looks at the price of using these cleaner products, finding that lower-carbon equivalents are available in Canada at the same cost or for a negligible cost premium across almost all building materials and case studies explored. 

In a world where the U.S. is an increasingly unreliable trading partner, choosing these lower-carbon materials can help scale up domestic industries, enabling them to become more competitive exporters to other global jurisdictions, like the EU, that are seeking low-carbon products. 

There is one key way to help set up these industries for success, the report argues: “Buy Clean” policies, where governments require that cleaner materials are used in public construction projects. By using this approach in public procurement policy, Canada could avoid up to 4 million tonnes of emissions by 2030 (the equivalent of 850,000 cars). Such a policy can offer a trade-compliant route to supporting Canadian industries at a time of tariffs and uncertainty. 

Head to the report for more on why building clean homes and infrastructure doesn’t need to cost the earth.

KEY FACTS

• Material emissions savings of up to 32% for concrete, 100% for structural steel, 53% for rebar, 55% for drywall, and 98% for insulation were identified at no or negligible cost increases in the case study analysis.
• More efficient design of buildings can already reduce both cost and carbon by reducing the quantity of construction materials needed. Simplifying or streamlining building designs can also speed up construction. 
• The federal government has adopted policies requiring concrete and steel used in federally procured projects to be lower-carbon. Major construction projects funded by the federal government also require emissions reduction of 30% across the whole project. 
• With building operations such as heating and cooling getting electrified, the emissions from construction will make up a larger share. The embodied emissions of an efficient electrically heated building can make up as much as 93% of the building’s cumulative emissions impact by 2050.

RESOURCES

Report | Building Toward Low Cost and Carbon

Report | Building Success: Implementing Effective Buy Clean Policies

Report | Money Talks

The post As Canada builds more homes, cleaner materials won’t cost more—and would benefit domestic industries: report appeared first on Clean Energy Canada.

News recently broke that B.C.’s electric vehicle rebate is under government review, a decision some have tied to the removal of B.C.’s consumer carbon tax and whether it creates a funding gap for the program.

It helps to start with the facts. B.C.’s EV rebate was not funded by the province’s late consumer carbon tax and, in fact, the policy isn’t funded by taxpayers at all.

B.C.’s EV rebate is funded by BC Hydro, which collects revenue as a result of another climate measure called the low-carbon fuel standard. Fuel producers regulated under the standard can either make their fuel cleaner—for example, by blending in biofuels or distributing electricity—or purchase credits from cleaner fuel producers.

BC Hydro earns money from these credits, which the electric utility uses to help British Columbians purchase money-saving, pollution-cutting electric cars.

But in conducting a review, B.C. has a critical opportunity to ensure more families benefit from EV rebates. We should absolutely not walk away from a program that saves considerable costs for British Columbians, our health-care system and our climate—especially when our friends in Quebec and California are stepping up, not back.

When B.C. removed its consumer carbon tax, it was crystal clear that the province would need programs in place to help households make the switch. Experience time and again has proven that EV rebates are incredibly effective—and frankly necessary if B.C. wishes to still consider itself a North American climate leader.

Change, however, is indeed needed. Roughly two years ago, B.C. introduced an income cutoff for its full EV incentive ($80,000) that is now below the average income of full-time workers in the province between the ages of 25 and 54. It also has not kept up with annual wage increases.

In short, many retirees qualify, but middle-class working parents struggling to buy their first townhouse often do not. This is even more disharmonious than it sounds, given that more than three in four Metro Vancouverites under 44 are inclined to buy an EV as their next car, according to a survey Clean Energy Canada undertook with Abacus Data due for public release this spring.An overwhelming 80 per cent of respondents also say they support incentives for clean technologies such as EVs, while those who did not qualify for the full rebate were twice as likely to say their exclusion was unfair than fair.

It almost goes without saying that we shouldn’t be excluding teachers and nurses from incentives to buy new EVs, but in many cases, that is exactly how the policy in its current form functions. The EV rebate is a distinctly middle-class measure that excludes much of the working middle class.

It’s also worth noting that the current policy includes a vehicle price limit of $50,000, so luxury vehicles like Teslas are already excluded. This restriction we agree with, as it more elegantly excludes fancy cars and the people who buy them.

Truly lower-income, lower-wealth individuals are not buying new cars of any powertrain, period. What will benefit them is a healthier used car market. How do we create the conditions for a better used market? Simple: get more EVs into the province. Every new car is destined to become a used one.

Today, you can buy a used Chevrolet Bolt—a popular electric hatchback with impressive range—with relatively low mileage for around $25,000 in the province. Not a bad deal for a car that could save you $2,000-3,000 a year on fuel. That kind of used EV at that price point wasn’t available even a few years ago, but B.C.’s historically high EV adoption rate has fed a more abundant and competitive used market.

Unfortunately, once Canada’s EV king, B.C. now ranks a distant second behind Quebec. In 2024, S&P Global reports EV sales in Canada’s French province reached an impressive 33 per cent compared with just 23 per cent in B.C. Two years ago, those numbers were 20 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.

Sales in B.C. are flatlining because the program is excluding its most willing adopters: young, working British Columbians. People who could be enjoying considerable fuel savings every year, which they instead might spend at local businesses rather than lining the pockets of fossil fuel companies.

The other hidden costs of gas cars are considerable. A Health Canada study found that air pollution from road transportation leads to $1.3 billion in health-care impacts annually in the province.

Or roughly the value of BC Hydro incentivizing half a million EV sales with a widely accessible $2,500 rebate. Now there’s an idea.

This post was co-authored by Evan Pivnick and first appeared in Business in Vancouver.

The post EV rebates work but B.C. is shutting out the middle class appeared first on Clean Energy Canada.

VANCOUVER — A third of Canadians live in apartment or condo buildings. In most major cities, that proportion is even higher. But charging an EV can be more challenging for apartment dwellers, posing a barrier to adoption for some. As Canada embarks on a generational housing buildout, the time is now to support EV charging in condos, argues a new Clean Energy Canada report, Electrifying the Lot.

Installing EV charging in new builds is three to four times cheaper than upgrading an existing building. But there are currently no federal regulations requiring EV readiness in new construction despite a new housing plan promising four million new homes over the next decade.

Younger Canadians are particularly affected, being generally more likely to live in an apartment and also more inclined to go electric. Thankfully, there is plenty that can be done. Many municipalities, particularly in B.C., and Quebec, have introduced “EV ready” bylaws that require new buildings to includeEV charging, while some provinces also support the installation of EV chargers in pre-existing buildings.

But a piecemeal approach led by municipalities isn’t the best option for anyone—residents, charging station providers, developers, or our climate. And varied and sometimes contradictory regulations add complexity and bureaucratic red tape, delaying installations. 

Governments at all levels should up their game and introduce stronger policies and programs to ensure everyone can access the huge cost-savings of driving an EV, regardless of their living situation. To that end, the report highlights a number of best practices that should be introduced at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

After all, driving an EV is one of the best ways for Canadian families to save money on gas. Now is the time to make sure all Canadians can reap the rewards of going electric.

KEY FACTS

• Three out of five (60%) people aged 20 to 44 live in apartment buildings in Metro Vancouver compared to half of people aged over 44. And yet, younger people are generally more interested in EVs: 77% of those aged 18 to 44 are inclined to go electric, according to a Clean Energy Canada and Abacus Data study to be released later this spring, compared to around 62% for those aged 45 or older.
• Quebec is currently the only province with EV readiness requirements for new homes in its building code and is in the process of extending the requirement to all apartment buildings before the end of 2025, with new draft regulations just released this month.
• Apartment buildings are found in the majority of communities in Canada (34% of total), though they are particularly prevalent in cities. They make up 40% of all households in Toronto and 52% in Vancouver proper.

Read the report

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