Six new electric vehicle chargers are being installed on Broad Street between Pandora Avenue and View Street.
On Monday, the City of Victoria announced it will begin construction on six new Level 2 EV chargers. They are expected to be installed and charging by December.
The chargers will be installed in pairs, two per block, allowing electric vehicles to charge for up to 90 minutes. Each 90-minute charge will be sufficient to drive an average electric vehicle about 50 kilometres.
Funding for the chargers and the installation has been provided, in part, by B.C. Hydro in partnership with Natural Resource Canada’s zero-emission vehicle infrastructure program.
“We’re committed to helping residents reduce their carbon footprint anywhere we can and it’s clear that Victoria residents are increasingly choosing electric vehicles to do their part as well,” said Mayor Lisa Helps. “This is a practical solution to support a reduction in greenhouse gases, but also to provide another incentive to come downtown and support our local businesses.”
The city already owns and operates 13 Level 2 chargers in its five parkades. The installation of six new curbside chargers will be Victoria’s first venture into on-street charging, said city spokesman Bill Eisenhauer.
“Vancouver Island has one of the highest electric vehicle adoption rates in Canada and these new chargers reflect the increase in demand for publicly available charging,” he said.
The city is committed to adding EV charging stations in its parkades, recreation centres, community centres and public spaces to meet targets outlined in its climate leadership plan. The plan has a target that renewable energy will power 30 per cent of passengers vehicles registered in Victoria by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050. These targets are in line with those set by the provincial Clean B.C. plan that requires all new light-duty cars and trucks sold in the province to be zero-emission vehicles by 2040.
ldickson@timescolonist.com
