BC now home to 30 fast-charging stations for electric cars
Posted September 23, 2016 10:59 pm.
Last Updated September 23, 2016 11:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VERNON (NEWS1130) – Electric car owners now have 30 fast-charging stations they can visit in the province while on extensive road trips.
The latest station has been installed in Vernon.
A fast charge allows the driver to hit the road much quicker than a charge you’d get at home.
“It’s turning ‘range anxiety’ into something that no longer exists,” says Bruce Stout of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association.
The specialized stations are located on major highways, where a complete charge-up only takes about 20 minutes – handy for people going long-distances.
“The quick charges are there to enable electric cars to travel from one city to another city. The owners can charge them within a half hour which will allow the drivers to get home again,” says Stout.
Don Chandler, another member of the association, says those 30 stations cover a major portion of the province.
“Basically from Revelstoke down through the Okanagan and on the Island. But not along the Coquihalla yet. Hopefully that will go in soon.”
The next phase should see another 20 fast-charging stations. Stout would like the priority to be the southeast corner of the province.
For now, most fast-charging outlets are free, but that will change in the future.
On a day to day basis, drivers plug in at an outlet at home, which typically takes overnight for a complete charge.
