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13/10/2011  |  0

Driving Towards Fossil Fuel Freedom

Manitoba's Electric Vehicle Road Map

The Manitoba Chapter of Canada Green Building Council hosted a lunch-time session on renewable energy earlier this week, and with my responsibility for the energy sector on behalf of YES! Winnipeg, I was very interested to attend.

The speaker was Bob Parsons, of Manitoba's Department of Innovation, Energy and Mines. His presentation started with a description of various forms of energy used in Manitoba including hydro, wind, and of course petroleum products (gas and diesel). Of particular note was the fact that all the billions of dollars that Manitoba spends annually on petroleum fuel goes directly out of the Province, because we don’t make any of that stuff here. What we do make here is electricity – lots of it. We also have the lowest published electricity prices in North America. Hmmm.

With respect to the goal of minimizing Manitoba’s reliance on fossil fuels, Bob entered into the bulk of his presentation – the future of electric cars in Manitoba.

Innovation, Energy and Mines has an Electric Vehicle Road Map and Mr. Parsons is quite involved. 

It turns out there are several long term projects underway, including the development of an all-electric transit bus. That project is in partnership with Red River College, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Manitoba Hydro, and the Province. There is also a new Electric Vehicle Technology and Education Centre at RRC. 

In addition to developing these vehicles, there is also extensive testing going on. Bob himself drives a lovely little electric mobile from Mitsubishi. He says it’s got more pep than he knows what do with. In fact, he delighted in sharing an anecdote involving drag racing with a Jag on Pembina Hwy – no traffic tickets! No word on performance going up hill – this is the prairies after all. The testing is expected to continue for at least another year or two, and the made in Manitoba adjustments are significant – including the efficiency of heating the cabins of these vehicles.

As the Electric Vehicle Road Map points out, "The new energy revolution offers the potential to take our number-one energy weakness - fossil fuel imports, and replace it with our number-one energy strength - renewable hydroelectricity."

With something like half a million outdoor plugs (for our block heaters), a culture of plugging in our cars, and the local R&D and expertise that continues to be developed, Manitoba is well-positioned to become a global centre of excellence on electric vehicles.

What are your thoughts on Manitoba's capability to become a leader in this space?

Jenny Motkaluk is a Business Development Professional with YES! Winnipeg, and focuses on the Energy & Environment, and Information, Communication, Technology and Media sectors.