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10 O n T h e R a d a r : i S t o c k / S u r i y a w u t S u r i y a ; C o u r t e s y o f Te s l a , I n c . ; A d o b e S t o c k / k a v y a B C B U S I N E S S . C A A P R I L 2 0 24 ON THE RADAR which requires that, for the 2026 model year, at least 20 percent of new light-duty ve- hicles in Canada must be zero- emission. That percentage will rise annually to the point that, by 2030, 60 percent must be ZEVs, and by 2035, all new auto sales must be zero-emission. Moment Energy is project- ing that, by 2030, there will be six million EV batteries retiring worldwide, and the company is betting those batteries will be a boon for people looking to power anything from off-grid properties to car-charging sta- tions, or to feed extra electric- ity into overtaxed grids. "Utilities are facing so much power demand, especially with more and more electric vehicles hitting the road—and these grids weren't designed to be able to charge thousands of EVs. So they're looking for ways to meet those excess power needs," explains Rattan. "They can either upgrade all their transmission lines and transformers, which is very costly and takes a lot of time, or they can install energy storage in different neighbour- hoods to help support those energy needs without putting in expensive infrastructure." The systems can also be deployed in jurisdictions like Ontario, where manufacturers pay a premium during peak demand periods. That could potentially save businesses hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. For now, the incoming EV battery tsunami is still a trickle, but Moment is working closely with auto manufacturers including Mercedes Benz and Nissan, and installing off-grid systems for clients ranging from the Department of National Defence to BC Hydro to YVR. In October of 2023, Moment also became the first North American company to secure UL 1974 certification, which sets rigorous safety standards for repurposed battery systems. "Once we prove out those projects, we're essentially GO FIGURE by Michael McCullough SOURCES: S&P GLOBAL, ICBC, VANCOUVER SUN, YALE E360, GOVERNMENT OF B.C., TRANSPORT CANADA PUNJABI PROMINENCE Diljit Dosanjh's concert at BC Place on April 27, part of his Dil-luminati Tour, is expected to rank as the biggest Punjabi concert ever held outside of India. Dosanjh already set records when he sold out Rogers Arena in 2022 and became the first Indian artist to play the Coachella music festival in California in 2023. We look at how Punjabi and South Asian culture is growing on this side of the globe. 54,500 Seats available for the Diljit Dosanjh concert $178.50 Lowest price for a seat as of press time The South Asian population in B.C. hit 473,970 as of the 2021 census, a 29.6% increase over 2016. It represents 9.6% of B.C.'s total population. THERE WERE 41,876 TESLAS REGISTERED WITH ICBC IN 2022. THE NEXT HIGHEST EV SELLER WAS NISSAN AT 8,426 VANCOUVER'S V6J POSTAL CODE, WHICH COVERS KITSILANO AND SHAUGHNESSY, SAW 2,287 TESLAS REGISTERED WITH ICBC IN 2022, THE HIGHEST IN THE PROVINCE There were more than 3,800 EV charging stations in B.C. at the end of 2022. As of March 2023, there were 8,732 charging locations in Canada In the third quarter of 2023, 21.8% of all new light-duty vehicle registrations in B.C. were for battery electric vehicles. Globally, 2024 EV sales are expected to top 16 million

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