Yesterday B.C. Minister of Finance Carole James introduced the B.C. NDP Government’s 2020 Budget at the first legislative session of the year. Included in the budget were a number of measures meant to help grow electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the province.
First introduced in 2011, the Clean Energy Vehicle Program (CEV for BC) has helped make clean energy vehicles more affordable for B.C. residents by offering a $3,000 incentive (originally $5,00) on the purchase of qualifying vehicles.
In recent months the money that was set aside for the program was rapidly diminishing, with many expecting the funds to run dry next month. It currently sits at just $1.9 million, after being at $5 million at the beginning of the year.
In the latest budget, the BC Government has committed an additional $20 million for the CEV program. While it is good news that the government plans to continue the program, that is less than half the amount committed by the government in 2017.
Related: CleanBC EV Charger Rebate program now includes Tesla’s Wall Connector
In addition to that money, the government will also provide $5 million for incentives to install home and workplace charging stations around the province. There will also be an additional $2 million to help with the construction of new public fast charging stations, including hydrogen fuelling stations.
An additional $5 million is also provided for the continued incentives on zero-emission buses and heavy duty vehicles such as trucks, port and airport ground equipment, and marine vessels.
Some money will also be set aside in Budget 2020 to fund a new $1 million pilot program to convert inland ferries in rural areas of the province to electric, and $2 million to fund the purchase of public sector electric fleet vehicles and charging infrastructure.
The full B.C. Budget 2020 is available here.
