Reply To: Rebates on chargers

#2235
Kenneth Jensen
Participant

What happened to the Newsletter? The last issue asked members to write to the BV Government concerting Tesla wall connectors. Here is my effort. (The formatting is not accurate in this copy and paste).

Christina Ianniciello
Director, Clean Transportation
British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum
PO Box 9314
Station Provincial Government
Victoria BC
V8W 9N1

Dear Director,
The British Columbia government’s efforts to encourage a green economy are commendable. This letter is concerned with two of the programs intended to increase the use of electric vehicles:
•a grant for the purchase of an electric vehicle;
•a grant for the installation of charging stations in domestic venues.
The program to increase the availability of public charging stations is also valuable, but is outside the scope of this letter.

In August of this year we purchased a Tesla Model 3 and installed a Tesla Wall Connector in our garage. The $3,000 rebate that we received from the BC government for the purchase of the car was an important factor for our decision to join the electric car movement. We urge you to retain this program. As a means of reducing carbon dioxide emissions it has more immediate effect than grants for household improvements and increases public awareness of climate issues by providing visible local examples of an action that can be taken by individuals.
We were not eligible for the EV Charger Rebate Program as we did the work before the grant program came into effect at the end of September. We have no criticism on that score; there is no case to be made for making the program retroactive. We do however have a strong criticism of another aspect of the programme. That is that Tesla Wall Connectors are not eligible for the grant.

The programme requires that eligible level 2 charging equipment must have a “standard” plug (J1772). There is no logical basis for this stipulation.

The Tesla connector is the most economical, reliable and user-friendly option for use with Tesla vehicles and Tesla vehicles comprise a large portion of electric car sales in BC. Indeed, if BC sales figures mirror those of other jurisdictions Tesla presently outsells all other electric vehicle brands in BC1. The cost of a J Plug EVSE of the same capacity and convenience as the Tesla Connector is typically much more expensive and not nearly as desirable for home use2. Why should the grant program encourage the installation of either inferior products or more expensive ones? Indeed, why should the program discriminate against the company that was the instigator of the electric car movement?

The stated purpose of the grant is to encourage electric vehicle use. This means assisting with the cost of not just the purchase of the connector, but also the cost of installation. In our case the connector cost $635 while the wiring to the electrical panel and running the cable was $1,300. If the next owners our house do not own a Tesla they will still have a house that is wired and ready to utilize any other plug system. It is also worth noting that installation costs are all spent locally in BC.
We strongly urge you to include the Tesla Wall Connector in the Home portion of the EV Charging Rebate Program.

Yours truly,

Ken Jensen
Johanna Jensen

cc. Honourable John Morgan, Premier; Honourable Andrew Weaver, MLA
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We could not find figures for BC; European and U.S. numbers show Tesla leading all EV sales. Indeed, in the U.K. and California Tesla outsells most ICE vehicles – third place in the latest sales figures in both jurisdictions.
Products that are less expensive are inferior solutions that offer neither the convenience nor the capacity of the Tesla Connector. Products that are of a similar standard to the Tesla Connector are more expensive as these examples demonstrate (prices in Canadian $).
Bosch EL 51254 30 Amp $ 885
Charge Point 16 to 50 Amp $ 993
Delta EV AC 30 Amp $ 795
Siemans VC30GRYU 30 Amp $1,299
Tesla Wall Connector 12 to 80 Amps $ 635