Personal circumstances vary, and electric vehicles may not be a transportation solution for
everyone. However, many Manitobans may find electric transportation a viable option. So
why should every Manitoban consider buying into electric transportation?
Worldwide oil reserves are running out. In layman’s terms, we humans have extracted as
much oil as there is left below ground. This phenomenon is called “Peak Oil.” Whether
we like to hear about it or not, this is a reality. Does it make sense that we simply burn
that precious material irresponsibly, or should we prioritize its consumption for those
irreplaceable uses, like international freight, aircraft, plastics, etc.? There are political
and economic consequences of not dealing with the “Peak Oil” problem. This problem
will not go away by simply pretending it is not happening. For each of us individually,
there is no question about the importance of getting a comfortable ride to the shopping
mall on a Sunday afternoon. However, putting this into perspective, today’s simple act of
“going for a Sunday drive” may deprive future generations from being able to put food on
their tables. This problem, however, is not unique to Manitoba.
Have you ever wondered where the oil needed to produce the fuel for your car comes
from? Yes, some oil may be extracted from North American oil wells or may even come
from controversial Albertan tar sands, but there is no question that a big portion of the oil
consumed in North America comes from places like the Middle East, Venezuela, or
Nigeria. Does it make sense that our dollars go to these places? In addition, most western
armies (including Canada) are used to secure our supply of oil. Deploying military
presence in some of these places has significant costs—some of which are not (or cannot
be) built into the price of gasoline and diesel. Another problem not unique to Manitoba.
The production of fossil fuels (gasoline and diesel) itself employs huge amounts of
energy, otherwise available for moving our vehicles directly. One electric car, roughly
speaking, uses about 3000 kWh to go about 12,000 miles. According to a UN Energy
Statistics Database, electricity consumption by petroleum refineries in 2007 was over 49
billion kWh. The electricity used annually to refine petroleum alone could drive over 16
million electric cars 12,000 miles each year. And this does not include the electricity used
to extract or pump oil. Mostly oil is not refined locally, so this is not a Manitoba-only
concern.
Then, how about climate change? Worldwide transportation and production of the
required fuels are two of the greatest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Although it is
hard to deny the pleasure of a warm Manitoba winter like the one we just enjoyed, global
warming is not about warmer temperatures year round. Global warming is about ice
meltdown, increases in sea levels, torrential rains, endless droughts, flooding, snow and
freezing anytime in the year—in short, unpredictable climate pattern changes that affect
plants, animals, and humans. Some may deny climate change, or blame it on Earth’s
natural reasons. However, there is enough consensus among scientists that climate change
is happening, and that humans are directly responsible for it. Scientists say that over the
last century we have been releasing enough greenhouse gases to exert global climate
change like never before seen on the face of our planet in such a short span. Yes, our
planet was once a pretty hostile environment for life forms; then there were tropical and
ice ages. But all these changes happened over millions of years. Think about how many
species became extinct because of climate change. So what would the effect be for
humans? There are definitely huge economic and existential consequences of disregarding
the causes and effects of climate change—and the current global warming mess will not
go away by simply ignoring it. Again, this problem is not unique to Manitoba.
So what, then, is unique to Manitoba that should make us buy into electric transportation?
1. Lack of local fossil fuel production
Manitobans use about 1.5 billion litres of gasoline and one billion litres of diesel fuel
annually to move approximately 700,000 vehicles (source: Manitoba Innovation, Energy
and Mines). All this fossil fuel is not produced in the province: Manitoba imports between
$2 and $3 billion annually. Electric vehicles are eight times more efficient than gasoline-powered ones. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, electric motors convert 75%
of the chemical energy from the batteries to provide power to wheels, while internal
combustion engines (ICEs) only convert 20% of the energy stored in gasoline. Just the
reduction of gasoline and diesel imports alone will save us money.
A decision to substitute these imports with locally produced “clean” fuel (electricity)
seems obvious, even on its economic merits only. Every time Manitobans fill up their
electricity tanks (batteries), those dollars will go to Manitoba Hydro instead of to non-
Manitoban Big Oil companies. These billions of dollars staying in our province could
mean more renewable power generation and transmission facilities, more employment
opportunities for Manitobans, and/or revenue reallocation to the government of Manitoba.
And what about provincial incentives to consumers who purchase electric vehicles? Some
might argue that the province is already operating on deficits, and the last thing we should
be thinking is adding more government expenditure. The answer is very simple—any
incentives to increase the province’s overall income should definitely be pursued!
2. Abundance of electricity
Manitoba has been investing in power generation for years. We currently generate about
23,000 GWh of power a year (source: Manitoba Innovation, Energy and Mines). Extraprovincial exports amount to about 10,000 GWh. If all petroleum-powered passenger
vehicles in Manitoba were converted to electric power today, they would only require
about 5% of the power generated in the province. Newer methods to extract natural gas from the ground, like “fraking,” have resulted in greater volumes being available, and natural gas prices have dropped dramatically. (Note that “fraking” is not without environmental controversy.) In the short-term, our American neighbours may not see an immediate benefit to importing clean electricity when a much cheaper “made in America” resource is readily available to them. But natural gas is a fossil fuel and, as such, is a limited commodity -once used up, its price will skyrocket. Based on plans to increase production and transmission of electricity, Manitoba has signed contracts with other jurisdictions for the provision of green electricity. The question becomes whether our neighbours will honour their contracts with us, and if so, will they be interested in buying more from us. If demand for our electricity does not
match increasing levels of power production, what are we going to do? Are we going to
waste that energy? Or perhaps we should think about an alternative.
3. Manitoba’s population concentration
Manitoba’s population in June 2011 was 1,250,484 (Population Report, Manitoba
Health). The largest communities are Winnipeg (709,827), South Eastman (70,362),
Interlake (79,527), Central (109,409), and Brandon (53,472). Because the distribution of
Manitoba’s population is mainly centred around built-up areas, electric vehicles could
provide a transportation solution for more than three-quarters of the population for intown
driving and daily commutes. The majority of manufactured pure-electric vehicles
have a range of about 160 kilometres. A Level 3 charger, or fast charger, is capable of
charging 80% of an electric vehicle battery pack in less than 20 minutes (and costs about
the same as a retail gas pump). Intercity travel will be made possible by implementing the
necessary charging infrastructure around Winnipeg and other densely populated centres.
4. Provincial emissions commitments
Subsection 3(1) of The Climate Change and Emissions Reductions Act (assented to June
12, 2008) requires Manitoba to reduce emissions by December 31, 2012, to an amount
that is at least 6% less than Manitoba’s total 1990 emissions. According to Manitoba’s
Climate Change Connection, between 1990 to 2009, road transportation emissions
increased in our province by over 30%. In 2009 alone, 59% of the greenhouse gas
emissions were derived from burning fossil fuels. From the reading of the Act, it is not
clear who is held accountable for not meeting the proposed target. It seems that the
Government of Manitoba was responsible for deploying the necessary programs and
ultimately accomplishing this goal. However, based on the overwhelming evidence of
unmet targets, it is not clear that enough effort has been made to set up a serious array of
emission reduction programs. So what are we going to do now? Are we going to change
the provincial legislation? Or, because the Act does not clearly designate who is to be
held accountable, will we just ignore this violation? None of these seem to be the right
solutions. Electric vehicles are available today and can contribute significantly to
achieving the emission reduction goals and be compliant with the law.
In the words of David Suzuki:
“We could pretend global warming isn’t happening, or that humans aren’t a factor if it is. That would be crazy in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, but even if it weren’t, there would still be no reason to continue down the road we’re on. Energy is at the heart of modern society’s needs, but when the source is finite, it seems folly to be hell-bent on using it up in a few generations, leaving the
problems of depletion and pollution to our children and grandchildren. The longer we delay implementing solutions to our energy challenges the more costly and difficult it will be when we have to face the inevitable.”
For most Manitobans, the use of electric transportation makes total sense!
Ariel Epstein,
Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association (MEVA)
www.manitobaev.ca
coal and gas-fired generation schemes to produce their electricity. Manitoba by contrast produces 98% of it’s electricity via Hydro generation; the remaining 2% covers remote areas that cannot be covered by the conventional supply grid.
