More electric vehicle chargers are coming to the Tri-Cities, thanks to new funding in Port Coquitlam.
The Electrical Joint Training Committee (EJTC) Society is receiving $50,000 from the Province's CleanBC Go Electric Public Charger program to install a new EV charging station at the EJTC training centre on Broadway Street, allowing more EV drivers in the community and post-pandemic travellers to charge up.
Work on the new charging station is expected to begin in late June 2021.
The station adds to a number of chargers in the Tri-Cities, including several Tesla “superchargers” for electric vehicles (EV) recently installed by a strip mall at 1090 Lougheed Hwy.
School District 43 (SD43) recently installed charging stations at Coquitlam schools.
In Port Coquitlam, there are 21 Level Two stations, according to ChargeHub.com.
Funding for the new EV station in Port Coquitlam will come from the CleanBC Go Electric Public Charger program.
"B.C. now has more than 60,000 EVs on the road," said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation in a news release.
"With the highest reported uptake rates of EVs in North America, we're building out the infrastructure needed to support the increasing number of EV drivers. This support for EV charging not only moves us toward our CleanBC goals, but it also helps EV drivers save on fuel costs — about $1,800 every year for the average B.C. driver."
"All across B.C. and in our own community, people are increasingly choosing electric vehicles," added Mike Farnworth, MLA for Port Coquitlam.
"B.C. already has one of the largest public charging networks but with the increased demand for EVs, more charging stations are needed. I'm excited to announce that with the help of the CleanBC Electric Public Charger program, a new EV-charging station is being built here in Port Coquitlam, giving more people access and options for charging their vehicle and helping fight climate change."
With $7 million from the province announced in September 2020 for the CleanBC Go Electric Public Charger program, Indigenous Nations, local governments, communities and businesses can apply for support to open new fast-charging stations.
Applicants can receive up to 50% of the cost of equipment and installation to a maximum of $80,000 per station.
Increased rebates of up to 90% of project costs to a maximum of $130,000 per station are also available for Indigenous-owned fast-charging stations. The program is being delivered by the Fraser Basin Council on behalf of the Province.
"The Electrical Joint Training Committee is the training and apprenticeship arm of the unionized electrical sector in B.C.'s Lower Mainland and the Okanagan," said Farid Poursoltani, director of business development, Electrical Joint Training Committee.
"The EJTC believes electric vehicles are the wave of the future. Transportation remains one of the largest sources of climate pollution in Canada, and to solve this climate crisis, we need more EVs and EV infrastructure to support this rollout."
In addition to funding for the expansion of the EV public charging network, a range of rebates for new EVs and home and workplace EV-charging infrastructure are available to British Columbians through the CleanBC Go Electric program.
The Zero-Emission Vehicles Act requires automakers to meet increasing annual levels of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales to reach 10% of new light-duty vehicle sales by 2025, 30% by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
B.C. is on its way to exceeding the 2025 targets with light-duty EV sales representing 9.4% of all new light-duty vehicle sales in B.C. in 2020.
