Electric vehicle owners in Northern BC will soon have a plethora of options to charge up if they decide to go on a road trip.
BC Hydro will add 28 fast charging station by the end of this year including a Level 3 station in Prince George.
A recent survey said only 30% percent of BC residents would consider taking an EV on a road trip while the majority disagree because they don’t feel the vehicle can travel the distance they want to go.
However, Spokesperson Bob Gammer told MyNechakoValleyNow.com that’s not the case.
“We are building stations roughly about 65 to 80 kilometres apart, so you could stop in Cache Creek, 70 Mile, 100 Mile and there will be a number of locations you can charge up, it’s not like you have to go as far as you can, hold your breath and make it to the next station.”
These fast-charging stations are in addition to the one thousand Level 2 public charging stations across the province.
The same survey explained that 70% of BC residents are hesitant to purchase an electric vehicle because they don’t think they can take it on a road trip.
Gammer adds with most people taking trips of 300 kilometres or less one-way, there should be no shortage of charging stations available.
“By building this network of fast-charging stations, you can charge to about 80% capacity of your battery in less than 30 minutes and that technology is improving all the time.”
“What’s changing is we’re building these stations from Kamloops all the way to Prince George and that will be in place this fall and then probably by next fall, we will have another series of fast-charging stations from Prince George out to Prince Rupert and then to Haida Gwaii.”
The distance is well within the range of a few well-known EV’s, including the 2019 models of the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, and Hyundai Kona.
“Right away we can tell people look it, what you are basically saying you are going to travel there is a car out there that fits your need already.”
“And it’s not necessarily a Tesla, which is at the top end of the price range but there are more affordable models that are available to you and would suit your need.”
BC Hydro has over 58 Level 3 fast-charging stations province-wide.