West Vancouver has doubled down its efforts to reduce carbon emissions by replacing a singular 50-watt electric vehicle charger in Horseshoe Bay with two 100-kilowatt charging units.
The BC Hydro site, located on the corner of Royale Ave and Bruce Street, is the first of 83 BC Hydro sites across the province to boast the dual units.
Mayor of West Vancouver Mark Sager said the expansion marks “an important step” to providing more services to the local community.
“This initiative supports the increasing demand for electric vehicles,” he said.
“Horseshoe Bay is a vital village which provides services not only to the people of West Vancouver, but also serves as a beautiful location to begin voyages to places beyond. We thank BC Hydro for this improvement.”
The two charging ports were brought into service on Friday, reopening the site to the public after its closure for upgrades in November.
The new upgrades can add 100 kilometres of driving to the average electric vehicle in about 10 minutes of charging--a step up from its 50-watt predecessor. Both stations also have a focus on better accessibility, featuring a curbless design and lower displays.
“B.C. has one of the largest public electric vehicle charging networks in Canada, but running out of power with no place to charge up, especially on longer trips, can still be a worry for people,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.
“Together with BC Hydro and other partners we’re continuing to expand our public charging network to reduce range anxiety and encourage more drivers to make the switch to an EV powered by B.C.’s clean electricity.”
In November, BC Hydro were under fire after an EV charging station in Horseshoe Bay resulted in the costly damage of at least two Nissan Leaf vehicles.
The two drivers had plugged in their cars for a brief charge only to find them rendered unusable afterwards. Both had to be towed from the site, with one requiring over $6,000 worth of repairs.
At the time, a BC Hydro spokesperson said the charger had been immediately taken out of service upon hearing of the damage, and was replaced with a new charger the following day.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News' Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
