The increasing popularity of electric vehicles has the city of Coquitlam looking at increasing the number of charging stations on public property.
More than 18,000 plug-in cars are expected to be registered in the city by 2030, according to BC Hydro projections, and the city said it needs to build infrastructure to accommodate the growth.
“The shortage of publicly available EV charging sites presents a barrier to the increasing purchase rate of EVs,” said a staff report. “This is an issue that is of practical concern for those living in multi-family residential buildings and those who travel long distances for work or travel.”
Currently, there is a charging station at Coquitlam city hall, which is offered for both public and city staff use. But municipal planners have identified Town Centre Park, Coquitlam Public Library’s City Centre branch, the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex and the City Centre Aquatic Complex as potential future sites for more stations.
In a report to council, staff noted they would also be looking at ways of encouraging the development of charging stations on private property.
Most electric vehicle owners have their own chargers at home but may need a boost when they are away from their residence for extended periods of time.
There are still questions around what technology should be used if the city moves forward with the development of its own charging network. Currently, the Level 2 stations can take three to four hours to fully power up an automobile while Level 3 stations can charge a vehicle in less than one hour.
City staff will also look at how to fund the stations and what to charge users.
The report to council noted the city of Vancouver already has a $2-per-hour fee for its Level 2 stations and a $16-per-hour fee for the Level 3 fast charging stations.
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