The City of Powell River will soon be adding four new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations after city council approved a motion that would set aside up to $48,000 for the installation.
Powell River already has a number of public EV chargers, but they haven’t been able to keep up with the demand. The city first installed public EV chargers in 2016 at the local boat harbour and city hall. Later in 2018, more EV chargers were installed in the public library and recreation complex.
According to city sustainability planner Ana Lukyanova, those charging station saw a huge increase in use last year, increasing from 905 uses in 2018 all the way up to 3,481 in 2019 (via PRPeak).
That high number of uses has also meant certain drivers are overstaying their welcome at the charging stations, forcing the city to implement fees for EV charging spots.
EV drivers will be charged a flat rate of $2 per hour, which Lukyanova says will more than cover the cost of electricity used, and also covers the cost of installation over the lifetime of the station.
The city was also approved for partial funding of the project through BC Hydro. As part of the program requirements, the new charging stations would have to be installed by the end of March 2020, meaning construction will begin soon.
Featured image via: Paul Galinski – PR Peak
