With more and more electric vehicles on British Columbia's roads, the need for recharging is growing along with that. This week the province’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation revealed that this year's budget includes $30 million to expand the territory’s “electric highway”.
Owners of EVs in B.C. can expect 500 public charging stations to be added to the network, bringing the total number of stations to 5,000, Automotive News reports.
Energy Minister Josie Osborne said the government is well aware that electric vehicle owners want to be sure of being able to recharge their vehicles easily, wherever they are.
The ministry says the public charging program gives priority to project applications that fill geographic gaps in the existing charging network, to ensure that every community in British Columbia has access to a fast-charging station.
The program will also give priority to projects in locations with high public access, such as community centres, libraries and highway rest areas.
The CleanBC Go Electric Public Charger program provides up to half the cost of equipment and installation, to a maximum of $80,000 per fast-charging station. For stations owned by Indigenous communities, the rebate is up to $130,000, or 90 percent of costs.
The British Columbia government has set itself the goal of having 10,000 charging stations on its territory by 2030. These additions bring it one step closer to achieving that goal.