KELOWNA – The New Car Dealers Association of BC has announced that Kelowna Nissan has received the Clean Energy Vehicle for BC (CEVforBC™) Green Star Award for selling more battery electric vehicles than any other dealership in B.C.’s Interior in 2015.
“Congratulations to Kelowna Nissan on receiving the CEVforBC™ Green Star Award for selling the highest number of battery electric vehicles in the Interior for 2015,” said Kelowna-Lake Country MLA and Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick, who presented the award. “The Green Star Award recognizes your work to provide more options for British Columbians to choose clean transportation.”
In 2015, Kelowna Nissan sold eight battery electric vehicles, more than any other automobile dealer in the Interior. B.C.’s New Car Dealers are helping the province lead the way with the highest clean energy vehicles per capita across Canada, as well as having the most charging stations anywhere in the country, with more than 1,100.
“The Green Star Award is a significant achievement in the sales of Clean Energy Vehicles in British Columbia,” said Blair Qualey, President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. “Thanks to dealers like Kelowna Nissan, B.C. has the highest per capita adoption of electric vehicles in Canada.”
Electric vehicle (EV) sales have been steadily increasing, jumping by 32 per cent from 2014 to 2015 according to Canadian auto research firm FleetCarma. One of the reasons for the increase is due to the incentive programs available to consumers including the CEVforBC™ program, which is funded by the Province of B.C. and administered by the New Car Dealers Association. CEVforBC™ offers up to $5,000 to B.C. residents who purchase or lease an eligible new battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. For the list of eligible vehicles, please visit www.cevforbc.ca.
Many consumers pair this incentive with the BC SCRAP-IT program, which allows consumers purchasing a qualifying electric vehicle to scrap their older model to receive a $3,250 rebate – $3,000 from BC SCRAP-IT and a $250 point of sale discount from a participating dealership.
“On behalf of Kelowna Nissan, we’re honoured to receive the CEVforBC™ Green Star Award,” said Mike Oughtred, General Manager, Kelowna Nissan. “The feedback from customers who’ve taken advantage of the financial incentive for a new clean energy vehicle purchase has been very positive. I want to thank the provincial government for its commitment to continue the CEVforBC™ program as I’ve seen first-hand that the incentives absolutely help British Columbians make clean transportation choices.”
Since the CEVforBC™ program began in 2011, the government has committed more than $31 million for vehicle incentives and charging infrastructure to make clean energy vehicles more affordable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the recently released Climate Leadership Plan, it noted that the Clean Energy Vehicle program is being expanded to support new vehicle incentives and charging infrastructure, as well as education and economic development initiatives – new investments and programs are currently being designed to continue growth in this area.