The District of Saanich has unveiled it will be opening 20 new level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the region to make it easier for residents to charge up.
The District says that Natural Resources Canada, through its Zero Emissions Vehicle Incentive Program (ZEVIP), provided a $100,000 investment for the deployment and installation of the new charging stations.
With the additional 20 locations, the District will now have a total of 32 Saanich-operated charging stations, bringing the total public network in Saanich to 115 EV chargers.
The new charging stations will be located at eight municipal sites, including four new locations at Saanich parks:
- Saanich Commonwealth Place – 6 new stations (plus 2 existing stations)
- G.R. Pearkes Recreation Centre – 2 new stations (plus 2 existing stations)
- Cedar Hill Recreation Centre – 2 new stations (plus 2 existing stations)
- Cedar Hill Golf Course – 2 new stations (plus 2 existing stations)
- Gyro-Cadboro Park – 2 new stations
- Mount Douglas Park – 2 new stations
- Hampton Park – 2 new stations
- Beckwith Park – 2 new stations
“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and accessible for Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast,” says Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources. “Investing in more charging stations like the ones announced today in Saanich will allow more Canadians to be in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals.”
Saanich charges a $1/hour user fee for the charging stations to encourage turnover and cover the cost of maintenance and electricity.
EV Charging Stations and their availability can be found in real-time on plugshare.com. Instructions on how to access Saanich’s EV stations are available at saanich.ca/ev.
“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges humanity faces, but we can also see it as a story of innovation. With today’s announcement of the completion of 20 new charging stations in Saanich we are celebrating a modern, more convenient future of electric mobility that benefits us all,” said Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes.
“Through our partnership with Natural Resources Canada and collaboration with the Capital Regional District, we will continue to deliver on our promise to build a robust public charging network in Saanich. We also understand that more needs to be done and we are working on that.”
A recent EV Infrastructure Roadmap commissioned by the Capital Regional District (CRD) noted that as of February 2021, there were 240 Level 2 charging stations and 28 DCFC stations in the Capital Region.
This same Roadmap estimates that 770 new public level 2 stations and 132 new DCFC stations are required by 2030 to support a target of 25 per cent EV ownership in the region.
Saanich says that in order to achieve that target, it will be working with the CRD to encourage and help others, including private businesses, to install public charging, in addition to continuing to install public chargers at Saanich facilities.
Graham Cox
