Electric Mobility Canada Plans Green Highway

Electric Mobility Canada is asking the federal government for $15 million for a coast-to-coast “green highway” that will include roughly 100 rapid charging stations for electric vehicles. This request falls under the eco-Energy Innovation Initiative, which was created to invest $97 million greenhouse gas emission reduction. The project would, however, involve a mix of public-private and private/non-profit partnerships.

The model for this sort of project would be examples in Europe, Japan and the US, which has seen success with the West Coast Green Highway, a 2,200 KM interstate.

“These alternative energy stations could accommodate any technology that is not based on fossil fuels,” EMC president and CEO Al Cormier told the Vancouver Sun. At the moment there is only one rapid EV charging station in Canada, and it’s right here in Vancouver.

Electric Mobility Canada is a national membership-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of “electric mobility”. The ultimate goal of the EMC is to transition Canada’s transportation system to electric traction. The hope is that this transition will “achieve sustainability in transportation and position Canada as a global leader”.

Many might assume that this sort of proposal poses some sort of threat to the automotive industry, but nothing could be further from the truth. Clearly, we are at a point in time when the very nature of cars is changing. Innovations may change the way certain things are done, but it will not hinder the industry or its many offshoot repair and services jobs. In fact, just the opposite, technological innovation helps automakers stay competitive, and it usually creates more job positions, often in areas that didn’t previously exist. Should a project like this go ahead, it could help create a whole other sector of automotive service technician and auto service specialist positions. Here’s hoping.