Charging stations are cropping up in handy locations in parks and shopping centers in the Tri-Cities this month, giving drivers of electric vehicles some peace of mind as they travel throughout the Lower Mainland.
On Friday, Coquitlam Centre demonstrated its two GE WattStations while another four charging stations are expected to be operating in Port Moody and one in Port Coquitlam by the end of the month.
At Coquitlam Centre, drivers can use their smart phones to pay for the use one of two Level 2 chargers to power up their vehicle while shopping. A four-hour visit to the mall for example, will completely charge the vehicle using the 240 volt charger. Mel Fisher who drives a Chevy Volt that is powered by electricity but has an onboard gas generator said he and his family visit the mall frequently and the extra jolt of electricity will come in handy.
"The rule of thumb for electric vehicle drivers is ABC - Always Be Charged - this gives you peace of mind," said Fisher, a draft beer equipment installer who drives to Whistler frequently. He said his Volt has saved him $2,500 in fuel costs since he bought it nine months ago.
It will cost $1 an hour to use one of the centre's new EV charging stations which were installed by Powertech, a subsidiary of BC Hydro, near London Drugs.
Coquitlam Centre operations manager Ken Petherick said installing electric vehicle chargers is part of a larger plan to become more energy efficient and the mall has also upgraded its lighting and is harvesting rainwater for its HVAC system. He doesn't know how many drivers will use the chargers, "It's an investment," he said, "hopefully people will drive here, plug in and go shopping."
The Level 2 GE WattStation chargers purchased by Coquitlam Centre cost $6,000 apiece, and have features such as a retractable cord to reduce vandalism. They are available for use from 8 a.m. to midnight and tree are two ways to pay - a quick pay card you have to sign up for and a smart phone app that uses a QR code to pay.
With the help of provincial grants of up to $4,000 per installations, PoMo as well as Coquitlam Centre and Vancity at Shaughnessy Station in PoCo will also be installing EV charger this months. In PoMo, chargers will be located at Kyle Centre, Rocky Point Park, the recreation complex and the city's works yard.
The city of Port Moody was the only city in the Tri-Cities to apply for one of the $4,000 grants to help cover the costs of building the stations stations, estimated at $32,000 with $2,500 in annual operating costs.
For electric vehicle owners, a network of electric vehicle chargers around the province will make life easier, while helping owners save money. However, purchasing an EV vehicle doesn't come cheap.
Fisher said he paid $47,000 for his Chevy Volt, [the base model would have been $41,000] and says he has saved $2,500 in fuel costs over nine months while a $5,000 provincial rebate helped defray some of the purchase costs.
Grants to pay for EV Chargers come from the Community Charging Infrastructure Fund and since Dec. 1, 2011, some 562 public Level 2 charging stations, 90 residential Level 2 charging stations, 355 clean energy vehicles have been installed. In January, the province announced $1.3-million in grants to 13 communities in B.C. {not the Tri-Cities} for direct current (DC) fast-charging stations that can charge a vehicle up to 80% in 20 to 30 minutes.
Most homeowners would use a 110 Volt charger, which would take overnight to power a vehicle.
Electric vehicle charging stations are also being considered for Metro regional parks.
