Manufacturers deliver at the Electric Fleet Symposium

Man speaks on stage

Philip Saunders, City of Seattle, speaks about the city’s fleet electrification at the BC WCEF 2019 Symposium in Richmond, BC.

The 2nd BC West Coast Electric Fleet Symposium was held on December 5th, 2019, in Richmond. It was twice as big as the previous year in terms of attendance, which speaks to the growing interest in the complex topic of fleet electrification. The symposium organizer, Pete Thimmaiah explains:

“The primary goal of this symposium was to bring together West Coast Diaspora in an open dialogue under one roof to discuss the challenges of fleet electrification, mainly focusing on the adoption of medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses. I believe that our diverse and dynamic speakers provided in-depth insight, as well as tools of engagement models, methods, and mechanisms that have worked in their businesses/industries.”

Another indicator of growth in this field can be observed in the display vehicles present. At the 2018 event, display vehicles consisted of a couple specialty use trucks, an electric cargo bike, and a few passenger vehicles. This year, OEMs and operators brought out a much broader display from professional mowers and UTVs right up to an electric tour bus. Vehicle selection and availability remain a critical piece of the fleet electrification puzzle; however, the rapid diversification of hands-on display vehicles, in the span of a single year, shows just how quickly this field is developing.

See the complete symposium report here.

Looking for a fleet vehicle rebate? See the Specialty Use Vehicle Incentive program here: https://pluginbc.ca/suvi/

Yves Provencher (The LION Electric Co., left) and Daniel Clancy (Province of B.C., right) on the Supplier and Buyer Connections panel.
Electric Motorcycles from Motorino
Greenworks Commercial Zero Turn Mower – courtesy of Celtic Distributors Ltd.
EVT Motors’ Urban Electric Class 3 – courtesy of E-Motion Motor Corp.
Canadian Electric Vehicles’ Might-E Truck
Tesla Model 3 and Model X, along with Tesla Tours’ Model 3.
Greenworks Commercial’s CU800 UTV – courtesy of Celtic Distributors Ltd.
Electric Smart Fortwo and Greenworks Commercial UTV.
BYD tour bus – courtesy of West Coast Sightseeing.
EVT Motors’ Logistics Van – Courtesy of E-Motion Motor Corp.
Tesla Tours’ Model 3