This text is part of the special Environment section
To reduce our energy footprint in transportation, we have several choices before us. With abundant hydroelectricity in Quebec, it goes without saying that the different types of electric mobility are part of the solution.
“There was an economic stake in moving towards electric vehicles, but it is falling because they cost less and less and the rise in the price of gasoline is accelerating the shift,” says Christian Savard, director General of Living in the City.
He nevertheless emphasizes that having a large vehicle is part of a certain social norm these days. “I think we will have to question this standard,” he says. If you change your vehicle, it’s good to think about going to an electric vehicle, but also, to go to a smaller format, without neglecting to ask yourself if you really need this vehicle. »
He remarks that if car sharing, with Communauto, was a real revolution in transportation, the electric bike could well be the next one. “It increases the possibilities for the bike tenfold because it allows you to go further with less effort and it is much cheaper than a car, it parks more easily, it recharges very quickly. The ideal would also be to move towards sharing these bikes. »
Fall for the electric bike
This is exactly the goal of Équiterre’s Vélovolt campaign. She wants to show the potential of the electrically assisted bicycle to replace the solo car in order to carry out her daily trips.
“It’s an active mode of transport even if it’s less demanding than the classic bike. It’s a very good alternative to driving alone and it’s even more true for people who don’t have easy access to public transit,” says Agnès Rakoto, mobility project manager at Équiterre.
Vélovolt, carried out with the Association des centers de gestion des voyages du Québec, therefore lends fleets of electrically assisted bicycles to organizations so that they can make them available to their employees. Eight organizations participate in the program.
“They each have a fleet of five bikes for three months and they rotate the bikes with their employees so that they can try them out for a few weeks to complete their daily trips,” explains Agnès Rakoto.
The bikes are also equipped with trackers that collect data for the Mobility Research Chair at Polytechnique Montréal. This will make it possible to better understand the use of the electrically assisted bicycle in order to be able to put in place the right levers in the different cities to increase its use.
The objective is not only that people who have tried these bikes are subsequently tempted to buy one, but also that organizations obtain fleets to make them available to their employees.
“We are working to mobilize the various players to move towards sharing bikes and supporting individual purchases,” she says. For example, in France, when someone scraps their old car, they have a financial incentive to buy an electric bike with the aim of reducing the car fleet. This initiative could be an inspiration for Quebec. »
Vehicles made in Quebec
While the trend is to buy local, this is also what Propulsion Québec, the cluster of electric and intelligent transport, highlights.
“If we choose the electric bus, the electric bicycle, electric trucks for deliveries, it’s good for reducing our energy footprint, but it’s also good for the economy of Quebec because we manufacture all these types vehicles in the province,” says Sarah Houde, President and CEO of Propulsion Québec.
She points out that our trade balance is weighed down by two things: the import of cars and that of oil.
“Being able to switch to other modes of transport would clearly improve our lot from an environmental and economic point of view,” she says. We tell people to buy apples from Quebec instead of those grown in California, so we can also tell them to choose their means of transportation based on what is made in Quebec. It can encourage them to change their behavior. »