Canadian City Requires New Gas Stations to Offer Alternative Fuels

The law states that new or renovated stations have charging stations or other alternative fueling options.

September 23, 2013

SURREY, British Columbia – In Surrey, British Columbia, new or renovated gasoline stations will need to have more than gasoline pumps to open, Green Car Reports states. A new law requires those stations to have charging stations for electric vehicles or other alternative fuel infrastructure in place to be in business.

“We want to promote and advance clean technology by building the necessary infrastructure to support alternative fuel vehicles,” said Mayor Dianne Watts. “Surrey residents spend over a billion dollars a year on energy, with the majority of money being spent on transportation. We want to encourage people to choose alternative fuel vehicles, but in order to do that, we need to make the refueling and recharging stations more accessible.”

The new service stations will likely be located in future growth areas such as South Port Kells, Clayton and Grandview, which are not currently served by a gas station. The new by-law would allow off-site installation of electric vehicle charging stations, such as at a recreation or shopping center, in order to make it more convenient to charge for longer periods of time.

Under the city’s regulation, new gasoline stations being built must have “alternative fuel refueling or recharging infrastructure,” as defined as a DC fast-charging station for electric cars, fast-fill CNG refueling station, hydrogen fueling station or LPG refueling station.

The city will review the requirements after three years to consider “market penetration and vehicle availability with a particular focus on the continued inclusion of liquefied petroleum gas (propane) as an eligible alternative,” the city council stated. Deployment of the law is predicted to be gradual, as the city only receives a couple of applications for new gas stations annually.

U.S. gasoline retailers are adding alternative fuel pumps and electric charging stations, but no American city or locality has required such options.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement