A recently formalized policy by B.C. Ferries is restricting damaged electric vehicles from boarding its vessels, leaving some islanders feeling frustrated and stranded.
British Columbia leads the country in electric vehicle adoption, with more than one-fifth of all new light-duty passenger vehicles sold in B.C. in 2023 being EVs. However, as of the end of June, a B.C. Ferries policy — based on Transport Canada rules from 2014 — forbids vehicles with damaged or defective batteries from boarding ferries.
“While the approach has been in place for years, we’ve seen an uptick in these cases (of damaged EVs boarding the ferries) and wanted to ensure our teams and customers have clear direction,” said B.C. Ferries in a statement.
B.C. Ferries says that these restrictions are in place for safety reasons.
But since B.C. Ferries serves more than two-dozen islands, and with so many people owning electric vehicles — sometimes on islands with few options for repair — it has people feeling trapped.
Johnathan Vipond, the owner of Salt Spring Island Towing, says that on average, he tows disabled hybrid or electric vehicles off the island, one to four times a week, and that there’s a huge concentration of these vehicles on the island of less than 12,000 people.
Vipond says customers haven’t been happy since the policy change. With ferries no longer an option for damaged EVs, the only way to transport them off the island is by barge, a costly alternative. While there are some mechanics on the island with EV training, Vipond notes they’re still limited in what repairs they can perform.
“I stand with B.C. Ferries, I totally agree with them … but the problem is, all these vehicles are already on the Gulf Islands, I don’t want to say too little too late, but it’s like, they’re already here,” said Vipond.
Despite the policy’s existence, damaged EVs have regularly been transported on these ferries in the past without an issue, according to residents of the islands.
The B.C. Ferries policy change states that any EVs with major damage — including exposed batteries, fluid leaks, or wiring issues — are not to be transported. Similarly, any EV that cannot be driven on its own, such as those being towed, are not allowed on ferries.
For vehicles with minor damage, such as cosmetic issues, drivers first need to talk with a terminal attendant, who then speaks with the captain, who then watches while you drive on and decides whether it’s allowed.
In 2019, B.C. passed the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act (ZEV Act), which was meant to drive up sales of zero emission vehicles, to ensure provincial greenhouse-gas reduction targets are met. As a result, B.C. has the highest percentage of EVs being sold in any province or territory, in the last few years.
While Vipond agrees with these new restrictions in terms of safety concerns, he thinks there needs to be other options to get these vehicles off the island. As of right now they don’t qualify as dangerous cargo shipping, but Vipond says that could be an option, among others. He says it all comes down to B.C. Ferries and Transport Canada, and whether they are willing to work with these towing companies.
B.C. Ferries understands that this policy poses challenges for people, especially at a time where electric vehicle adoption increases, but they believe it is in the interest of everyone’s safety that these cautions be applied. That being said, they are willing to look into safer alternatives to transport these vehicles in the future.
“As this area evolves and we gather additional data we will look at whether safe, regulatory compliant options to transport damaged EVs can be introduced in the future,” B.C. Ferries wrote in an emailed statement. “In short, EVs can still travel with us. The updates are about safety and clarity, not restrictions on everyday drivers.”
Hon Chan, the B.C. Conservative MLA for Richmond Centre, says he places the blame squarely with the provincial government, not B.C. Ferries.
“They (the government) asked everybody to get an EV, however now if there’s a problem, it’s almost impossible to get it fixed if you’re not located in the mainland,” Chan told National Post in an interview.
Damaged EVs can’t board BC Ferries — even on a tow truck.
NDP pushed EVs; now owners are stranded. I warned them. They ignored.
BC needs Conservative common sense.#bcpoli #BCFerries #EVcrisis #CommonSenseConservatives #richmond #britishcolumbia #richmondcentre #bc pic.twitter.com/s9hkG3qJZo— Hon Chan MLA 陳瀚生 (@honchanbc) July 7, 2025
Chan says that around two months ago he
introduced a private member’s bill
to amend rules pushing B.C. towards an all-EV light-duty vehicle market by 2035. He where he pointed out that in certain areas in B.C., especially the more rural ones, don’t have proper facilities to repair EVs. However, his bill was voted down.
“They always create some problems, and now scramble to find a solution,” said Chan.
Chan himself is an owner of an EV, and says that he’s concerned that as his vehicle gets older, it could break down, and then would be stranded on the island, which he says is the concern for many British Colombians.
He says that this is something that should’ve been discussed beforehand, because now people are left to deal with the repercussions themselves.
”Why aren’t we looking at the solutions before?” said Chan.
Jim Standen and Tom Mitchell are residents of Salt Spring Island, and have both owned EVs for around 10 years. The recent policy change has them both feeling a little concerned and frustrated as well.
Standen says that although EVs are reliable cars, there’s a large number of them on Salt Spring Island, and many of them are old, increasing their chances of breaking down. And in terms of repairing an EV, on the island there are not many options.
Dangerous goods ferries come to the island once a week, and there’s also a marine landing craft. Mitchell says that the landing craft could potentially be used to help transport damaged EVs, but something needs to be done.
“It cannot be left standing like that. It’s a dead stop to EV growth,” said Mitchell.
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