Here’s what Charlotte Argue wants you to know about electric vehicles: They’re a hoot to drive. They’re also many times more efficient than gas-fueled cars, and cost 90 percent less to operate compared with a traditional gasmobile.
“Transportation is one of the highest contributors of carbon emissions,” says Argue, 31. “We know vehicles aren’t going anywhere any time soon. So in the absence of simply not driving, EVs represent the biggest opportunity for emissions reduction. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s part of the solution.”
Argue is Climate Change and Air Quality Program Assistant Manger in Vancouver for the non-profit Fraser Basin Council, a collaborative public-private NGO. She spearheads green fleet initiatives, including the E3 Fleet national certification program. Thanks in part to her efforts, British Columbia leads Canada in EV adoption—chasing global pioneers California and Norway.
Argue does much of her work behind the scenes, steering public-private coalitions such as Plug in BC. She supports building out British Columbia’s vehicle charging station infrastructure network—now Canada’s largest per capita, from five to 600 in three years—and fleet stations. Then there’s the public awareness campaign, taking EVs and their owners to farmers’ markets and jazz fests.
Ironically, Argue is car-less. She bikes and relies on a car share when she’s not kayaking, camping or kicking around a soccer ball: “My mom just bought a Nissan LEAF, though, so it’s in the family.”
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