BC – To encourage more British Columbians to drive electric vehicles (EVs) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Province is providing funding from the Clean Energy Vehicle (CEV) Program to expand and upgrade residential and public charging infrastructure.
Investments were announced for two programs at the Vancouver International Auto Show:
- $688,500 for incentives for Level 2 charging stations in multi-unit residential buildings like apartment blocks and strata complexes. The program is open to individuals anywhere in the province that reside in an eligible multi-unit residential building, or to parties authorized to make decisions regarding the building like building managers or owners, and strata councils. Approved applicants would be eligible to receive a rebate of up to 75% of the total, before-tax cost of installing a Level 2 EV charging station to a maximum of $4,500.
- In partnership with BMW Canada and BC Hydro, $276,500 to upgrade 10 public, single-standard DC fast charging stations (DCFCs) to dual-standard chargers. The upgrades will enable the chargers to offer both styles of charging standards (SAE Combo and CHAdeMO). These 10 stations currently use only the CHAdeMO charging standard which was the only standard available at the time they were installed. The upgrade is required so these DCFC stations can serve all models of EVs. Standard industry practice now is to have both charging standards on DCFC units. BMW is contributing $110,000 for the upgrades and BC Hydro will provide $106,500 as contributions-in-kind for technical expertise and labour to perform the upgrades.
“Expanding infrastructure in residential buildings and upgrading charging stations for clean energy vehicles is a positive step in the right direction for British Columbians to reduce their carbon footprint,” says Blair Qualey, president and CEO, New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia. “The CEVforBC program is built around incentivising and creating an opportunity for anyone in the province to own an electric vehicle if they choose. Thanks to the investment today, we now have the largest public charging network in Canada, and I hope that we continue to see this grow.”
The Multi-Unit Residential Building Charging Program will be managed on behalf of the Province by the Fraser Basin Council, while upgrades to the province’s DCFC network will be managed on behalf of the Province by BC Hydro.
“With 98% of the electricity generated in B.C. coming from clean or renewable resources, stimulating the purchase of clean-energy vehicles is one of the most effective ways we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines. “Thanks to our investments under the CEV Program in vehicle incentives and infrastructure, B.C. now has the largest public charging network and the highest per-capita adoption rate of electric vehicles in Canada.”
The Province introduced the CEV Program in 2011 and has since committed more than $31 million to make CEVs more affordable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.