The City of Burnaby is planning to spend $2.3 million to install new electric vehicle (EV) chargers and a solar canopy at the Burnaby city hall. The project would include installing 54 EV charging stations, a solar canopy and the associated electrical and civil work.
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley is a great proponent of EV’s and owns one himself. Although the project is large in scope, it provides the needed EV infrastructure to encourage more residents of Burnaby to embrace EVs as their vehicles.
According to a staff report, the city considered a rooftop solar installation, but high costs associated with structural upgrades required to the buildings made the ground cover solution more feasible.
The setup will be similar to the EV chargers and solar canopy known as ‘Energy Oasis’ at the nearby Burnaby campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
This needed investment comes at a time when BC could experience a true boom in EV sales. According to BC Hydro, hundreds of thousands of drivers have put off buying an EV due to the pandemic.
So, with restrictions lifting and more EVs releasing every day, EV infrastructure is a necessary and intelligent investment.
The City of Burnaby staff report recommended the city contract Hyland Excavating to complete the project. The total cost of the new EV charging stations and solar canopy with installation is $2,360,852.55, reports Burnaby Now.
