When we imagine Ottawa’s low-carbon future, the transportation sector looks drastically different! Most people are getting around the city sustainably using public transportation, cycling, walking, electric scooters and e-cargo bikes, and of course Zero Emissions vehicles play a big role (ZEVs)!
This year’s Drive Green Week celebrated the steps we are taking to get there and showed us that the future is not as far away as it may sometimes seem. Our Drive Green speaker series highlighted the exciting developments and big challenges ahead as we work together to build a more sustainable transportation system here in Ottawa.
If you missed it, don’t fret! We’ve rounded up the highlights of our speaker series for you in this blog post!
What is it like to own a ZEV?
Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to drive an EV in Ottawa? Can you drive them in the winter? What is it like to charge up rather than fuel up? And what is their range on a full battery?
We had the chance to meet many prospective EV owners in person at our Pop-up EV expo, and it was fantastic to work with the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa (EVCO) to answer questions about electric vehicles and e-bikes. Raymond Leury, the President of EVCO also participated in our virtual speaker series, to break down some common myths about ZEVs and answer questions about the realities of owning one.
The future of electric cars in Ottawa
Infrastructure and incentives are important when it comes to encouraging more people to opt for ZEVs next time they need to purchase a vehicle. And greening city fleets as well as the fleets of other businesses and organizations is also important. Mitchell House, the City of Ottawa’s Electric Vehicle Project Manager joined us to discuss how the City is planning to support the uptake of electric vehicles in Ottawa and how the city is transforming its own vehicles- right down to its Zambonis!
Micromobility and electrification
Micromobility, and the infrastructure and policies that support it, can have a big impact in helping us meet our climate targets and reduce GHG emissions.
If you like to get around using bikes, cargo bikes, e-scooters and skateboards, you’re taking part in what the green transportation sector calls “micromobility”. In big cities, the majority of trips are taken by walking, cycling and public transportation!
Don’t let the name fool you, micromobility is a big deal! More and more people around the world are turning to these small human-powered and electric vehicles to meet their daily transportation needs! Jamie Stuckless from Stuckless Consulting, joined us to chat about micromobility in Ontario and the policies that support or hinder its adoption!
Green Grid
The adoption of a greater number of electric vehicles on our streets will definitely have an effect on our electricity grid. Guillaume Paradis, Chief Electricity Distribution Officer at Hydro Ottawa, joins us to chat about what our city’s EV-friendly future may look like based on what we know today. He goes over how Hydro Ottawa currently manages its electricity grid to ensure safety, reliability and stability; the current increase in EVs and the change in electricity capacity within the city; and what Hydro Ottawa could see as our future requirements for EVs in the short and long term.
Charging into the future
With urban intensification come more condos, small multi-unit residential buildings (MURBS) and other apartment-style residential buildings. There is lots of potential for these types of residences to install EV-friendly infrastructure that make the use of EVs more convenient and can encourage their residents to opt for ZEVs. Envari engineer Shana Sachwani joins us to discuss EVs in the context of condos and MURBs
Word from the Street!
If you’re curious about how EV owners like their vehicle, check out these short interviews with Beth and David, who chatted with EnviroCentre’s summer intern Ty about their favourite aspects of owning an EV.
We hope you had a chance to participate in Drive Green Week, and that you learned something new about ZEVs— We certainly did!