Electric vehicle rebate among staff proposals to speed up Toronto’s target to become a carbon neutral city “is a great first step,” Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker said.
“What we need to see are further measures to make sure we keep the momentum going forward.”
It’s something De Baeremaeker stressed when he joined a panel discussion on electric vehicle sales and the potential to drive electrification in Toronto’s economy.
The councillor pointed to how the City of Toronto is working with its private sector partners who are preparing to build thousands of charging stations for electric vehicles in the city.
He said it’s an area that many municipalities should be exploring.
“This is an absolutely critical part of the industry,” he said. “It’s not just an opportunity for us, I think it’s something that we need to continue to expand.”
De Baeremaeker said that, with electrification, the City of Toronto does not need to go in and out of the electrical grid.
“It’s a technology that can give our economy the capacity to respond to any changes in demand and that can enable us to stay competitive in the future,” he said.
He added that the ability to generate energy from the grid means that Toronto does not have to rely on fossil fuels.
He noted electric vehicles are often more environmentally friendly when compared to those that use other fuel types.
He said the City has already seen the potential of the technology in the city.
“We’ve seen the potential for energy efficiency in our buildings and now of course we’ll be moving into more commercial buildings in the future,” he said.
He said while the City has the capacity to install the charging stations, they will be needed early on in the game.
“We don