UCLUELET – BC Hydro has doubled the number of chargers at its electric vehicle fast charging site in Ucluelet with the addition of a new 50-kilowatt charging unit.
“We’re working to make it easier for drivers in BC to go electric and use more of BC’s clean, reliable hydroelectricity,” says Hon. Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low-Carbon Innovation and MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim. “This public charging location in Ucluelet will benefit people living on the West Coast who are reducing emissions by switching to electric vehicles, as well as the many EV-driving travelers who come to visit our beautiful forests and beaches.”
The Ucluelet site originally opened in May 2018 and is located at the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre near the junction of Pacific Rim Highway and Tofino-Ucluelet Highway. The site was built with one 50-kilowatt charging unit. On December 19 an additional 50-kilowatt charging unit was brought into service. Each unit can add 50 kilometres of driving to an average electric vehicle in about 10 minutes.
Transportation accounts for about 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in BC In September 2021, BC Hydro revealed its Electrification Plan, with initiatives to encourage BC residents, businesses and industries to switch to hydroelectricity from fossil fuels to help reduce carbon emissions. The plan encourages switching from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles.
“As the primary fuel supplier for electric vehicles, we are building out charging infrastructure to ensure we can accommodate the volume and variety of electric vehicles that will be on BC roads in the coming years,” says Chris O’Riley, President and CEO of BC Hydro. “BC Hydro will add 325 charging units to its network at 145 sites within the next five years.”
BC Hydro’s provincewide fast charging network currently includes 133 charging units at 81 sites in communities throughout BC. The chargers are funded in a partnership with the Province of BC and Natural Resources Canada.
Business Examiner submitted