The proposed new ferry Kootenay Lake is to receive in 2022 should be 100 per cent electric.
Corvus Energy manufactures modular lithium ion batteries in Richmond. As they already have 100 per cent electric ferries in use in Norway using these B.C.-made batteries, it makes very good sense to proceed with this technology for our new ferry.
I am writing this letter as a director of our Nelson-Creston Green Party Riding Association and as a representative of the large number of Nelson-Creston residents who wish to see our province moving towards a sustainable future. We feel this is an excellent opportunity to showcase forward thinking 21st century technology by not reinvesting in diesel power at all but moving toward 100 per cent electrical power.
The Norwegian MF Ampere ferry is an example of the world’s first all-electric car ferry. This vessel alone saves one million litres of diesel per year and 2,680 metric tons of CO2 and 37 metric tons of nitrogen oxide are mitigated, as an illustration of the environmental benefits.
In light of our urgent climate crisis, it is imperative that we vastly reduce fossil fuel use. We could be a prototype of B.C.’s first all-electric ferry, by using this Corvus Energy storage system. And we have the technology available to us right here, with this multi-award winning energy company in Richmond. We feel the time is now for this innovative action, and that perpetuating any diesel use is a backward step for the environment and society.
Mary Donald
Riondel