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VoltSafe Blog Team – June 18, 2024
A report by Energy Futures released a few weeks ago expressed concern over the lack of infrastructure that would be required to support the zero emission vehicle sales targets set by the Provincial Government of British Columbia.
The government has set zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales targets that are more aggressive than the federal Canadian and US-regulated targets. According to British Columbia’s accelerated plan, a minimum of 26% of new vehicle sales will be zero emissions by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
To support this plan, there would need to be 40,000 public chargers by 2030. Currently, there are approximately 5,000 public EV chargers with a target of having 10,000 public chargers installed by 2030. That is a significant shortfall.
If we were to look at the charging infrastructure needs of the entire nation, Natural Resources Canada estimates that Canada will need between 442,000 and 469,000 public charging ports by 2035. As of December 1, 2023 there are only 10,425 charging stations and 25,246 charging ports. In the United States, they will need 28 million charging ports by 2030. Needless to say, there’s quite a bit of catching up to do.
Along with the target to place more EV’s on the road, is the province’s strategy to transition other sectors to renewable sources of power. BC Ferries just announced that they have received a $75 million dollar loan to electrify their fleet and purchase and install charging infrastructure.
Electrifying is a necessary move as we run out of non-renewable resources like coal, oil and gas. Electricity generation would include hydro, wind, geothermal, biomass, and solar power. Based on the electricity demand required to support this plan, more renewable utility production facilities would need to be built to meet the demand. This would mean two more Site C dams along with other infrastructure upgrades. Currently, the demand for electricity exceeds the supply which is why BC Hydro is importing 46% more electricity into the province in 2024 compared to the same time last year. In fact, in 2023 BC Hydro imported one fifth of our domestic electricity.
Among the province’s plans to electrify are mandating energy conservation in buildings and homes, and improving the efficient use of energy in construction and industrial operations.
What most people are unaware of is how much energy our TV sets, computer monitors, phones and laptops are drawing when they are on standby power. Many still disconnect their phones’ power cable from their phone but leave the plug still connected to the outlet. This standby mode is also known as vampire energy. That’s because it invisibly sucks power from the panel.
Energy management is the fastest way to reduce pressure on the grid and even save unused power and return it back to the grid for other uses. This will in turn relieve the pressure to find more energy sources and build new infrastructure to support the energy demand of an electrified future. Helping residents of BC manage their energy usage and conserve energy effortlessly, will ease pressure on the grid and having to come up with financial resources and land for new energy facilities or the need to import energy from elsewhere. Most importantly, energy management would help prevent frequent power outages like those seen in Texas. BC Hydro recently made the move to introduce off peak usage incentives to households for charging their devices or running their laundry during off peak hours. This will help somewhat but will require household owners to actively change their habits.
Amongst the province’s plans to electrify are mandating energy conservation in buildings and homes, and improving the efficient use of energy in construction and industrial operations.
VoltSafe’s patented technology offers an effortless solution to energy management. The magnetic connectors allow users to connect to high voltage DC power and manage their consumption with a simple tap on their phone or tablet. VoltSafe’s technology is scalable and utilizes hardware and software solutions to assist homeowners and businesses with managing their energy usage.
The difference between VoltSafe technology and other smart energy saving devices is the ability to manage energy consumption down to the granular level. This means knowing how much energy your washer or dryer is using as opposed to your toaster oven and your fridge. This information is useful when it comes to deciding when to use an appliance or device during the day to optimize your usage.
Having the ability to schedule your energy usage or turn your appliance or device on and off at the outlet, with a tap of a button on an app means that energy management becomes effortless. Everything down to the smallest device can be turned on and off using a schedule that you only have to set once and edit with a few taps to suit your needs.
If you think about what this would mean on a larger scale. Imagine businesses scheduling their equipment and devices to turn off at the end of the business day or homeowners turning their appliances or devices off when they are not at home or at night when they are asleep. The amount of energy saved on idle equipment or appliances will be significant.
Currently VoltSafe is piloting its marine shore power system in a few participating marinas with a number on the waitlist waiting to marina operators who are aware of the amount of electricity consumed at their docks by vessels and are eager to begin seeing the cost of their energy consumption decrease. Early tests show at least a 17-18% reduction in energy consumption with a savings of $10 per slip. Imagine what this could mean for energy management on land once we get households and businesses on board.
There is really no need to “cancel” electrification in 2030 or delay it. We just need to start with energy management and VoltSafe offers an easy way to do so. Sounds simple, and that’s just how VoltSafe wants to keep it.
If you would like to learn more about VoltSafe’s solution to energy management, keep connected with us on social media. If you would like to invest in VoltSafe, reach out to us at invest@voltsafe.com to learn more.
About VoltSafe Inc.
VoltSafe Inc. is changing the way people connect to power. Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, the Canadian tech startup has reinvented the electrical plug by eliminating prongs, adding magnets and an “electrical fingerprint”. Using patented technology, VoltSafe has created the world’s safest, simplest, and smartest plug design since electricity came into homes more than 140 years ago. The company’s product pipeline includes magnetic plug replacement solutions for household, commercial, industrial, marine, electric and autonomous vehicles, emergency services, data centres and more.