<![CDATA[Electrification must be accelerated!]]>Electrification must be accelerated! Including at the municipal level with things like electric garbage trucks (like in Cowichan), zambonis (like in Port Alberni), and Vancouver’s fire trucks!

@ChrisIstace asked the question recently at a council meeting!

"Cator… estimated that the savings in fuel from the electric garbage truck would be in the tens of thousands of dollars per year at the current prices of diesel.

“It’s just one of our four garbage trucks, but it’s definitely a substantial savings,”

Cowichan Garbage Truck: https://albernivalleynews.com/2026/04/29/north-cowichans-electric-garbage-truck-proves-economical/

Electric Zambonis: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/electric-vehicle-ice-resurfacers-pollution-arenas-1.6743833

Electric FireTrucks: https://globalnews.ca/news/10147304/vancouver-electric-fire-truck/

In all cases, not only do they save money on diesel fuel, they are also healthier, safer, cleaner, quieter, work environment for city workers and the community!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/c335eb40-bd52-428b-8902-edab39f25cf6/electrification-must-be-acceleratedRSS for NodeFri, 01 May 2026 00:17:47 GMTWed, 29 Apr 2026 19:01:01 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:57:22 GMT]]>@datum @ChrisIstace yes! letters to city financial staff, engineering/waste managers, councillors, and mayors!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.chrisalemany.ca/users/chris/statuses/116489757810265897https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.chrisalemany.ca/users/chris/statuses/116489757810265897Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:57:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:52:04 GMT]]>@crispius @chris @chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca

Here was the original fleet electrification report and council approved the go ahead. I haven't found the full cost comparison looking at full lifetime costs of ICE vs EV but staff did a great job showing the smart ROI.

https://pub-northcowichan.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=11658

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://socialbc.ca/ap/users/116369954157813678/statuses/116489736976806441https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://socialbc.ca/ap/users/116369954157813678/statuses/116489736976806441Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:52:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:39:20 GMT]]>@crispius @chris @chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca It is brand new and was part of our fulsome fleet electrification project at North Cowichan and our Climate Action Energy Plan. Including DC Fast chargers at muni hall. We got E-Transit Vans and Lightning trucks for our carpenters/electricians also. Truck came with long term warranty like any EV.

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Climate Action Plan | Municipality of North Cowichan

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Municipality of North Cowichan (www.northcowichan.ca)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://socialbc.ca/ap/users/116369954157813678/statuses/116489686933979664https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://socialbc.ca/ap/users/116369954157813678/statuses/116489686933979664Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:39:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:29:06 GMT]]>@chris @ChrisIstace Suggestions on how to promote this? Letters to... municipal waste managers?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/datum/statuses/116489646637406037https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://zeroes.ca/users/datum/statuses/116489646637406037Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:29:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:21:14 GMT]]>@Anne_Delong @kevinrns @crispius @ChrisIstace less a problem of the technology, and more a problem of the company:

"“Certainly distance is one factor,” replied McNally. “Recently, the manufacturer that they’ve been buying them from, Lion, has had significant financial issues. They have looked at other manufacturers. There’s certainly none in the Atlantic provinces with any presence here.””

There have been a number of these electric buses delivered to school districts all over Canada including here in Nanaimo! Unfortunately, most came from the same company which is poorly run! 😞

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.chrisalemany.ca/users/chris/statuses/116489615768304869https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.chrisalemany.ca/users/chris/statuses/116489615768304869Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:21:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:18:20 GMT]]>@kevinrns @crispius @chris @ChrisIstace

New technologies don't always work out as expected, though. These electric school buses keep breaking down:

403 Forbidden

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(www.saltwire.com)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://musician.social/users/Anne_Delong/statuses/116489604328299146https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://musician.social/users/Anne_Delong/statuses/116489604328299146Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:18:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:13:33 GMT]]>@crispius @chris @ChrisIstace

Yes. For example.

In a minute, some Police force is going to realise any EV can outrun any gas car and all Police Cars will be EVs - by next Monday, the next step in cars.

And

Truck drivers given a chance to drive an electric truck will never go back to body slamming, kidney pounding, gas trucks.

And you might never-ever go to a gas station again.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kevinrns/statuses/116489585511829984https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kevinrns/statuses/116489585511829984Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:13:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Electrification must be accelerated! on Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:09:09 GMT]]>@crispius @chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca @ChrisIstace I would love to know how much maintenance has cost on the electric garbage truck compared to the standard variety!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://socialbc.ca/users/chris/statuses/116489568190648728https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://socialbc.ca/users/chris/statuses/116489568190648728Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:09:09 GMT