There’s been a big spike in the number of people taking advantage of Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
The SCRD has Level-2 charging stations at its Field Road headquarters and at the Gibsons and Area Recreation Centre.
The number of sessions at those stations more than doubled between 2015 and 2016, going from 286 to 600. The electricity used has gone from 2,188 kWh to 8,146 kWh. The usage stats are up four-fold from 2014, and electricity consumption at the charging stations is now nearly nine times what it was in 2014.
The data were part of the planning and community development department’s first quarter report, presented at an April 13 committee meeting.
The big jump in electricity usage prompted West Howe Sound Director Ian Winn to ask whether the charging stations would continue to be free. “Will we be looking at some point in the future at having to pay a nominal amount to use the charging station?”
Director of planning and community development Ian Hall said local government approaches to EV charging are “evolving rapidly” and SCRD staff are considering options.
“Staff have noticed the increase in use and community interest in not only these stations, but stations in general,” he said. “We’ll be evaluating how best to service the community in a way that’s financially sustainable.”
Committee chair Frank Mauro of Pender Harbour said he’s glad to see that.
“I think the charging stations are something that have to be watched,” he said. They’re new, and certainly an initiative that was very important, but it is a four-times increase year-to-year and it obviously has to be considered.”
The District of Sechelt also has EV charging stations at the municipal hall and the Water Resource Centre and a fast charger at the Trail Bay Mall. The district said usage of the fast charger is up significantly, and it’s also up for the others.
A bylaw to allow for a user fee on the fast charger is expected to come before Sechelt council later this year.
And this week Gibsons councillor Jeremy Valeriote proposed the Town should install one at Town Hall or somewhere else in Lower Gibsons, using some of the money the Town gets through an agreement with Fortis.
“This seems like an easy way to make a statement that we support innovative technology that also has a climate change impact,” he said. Council will consider the idea at its next budget meeting, April 24.
The plugshare.com database lists around 25 publicly accessible EV charging stations on the Sunshine Coast. Many, including the ones on municipal properties, were installed with partial funding from a provincial government program.
The Sunshine Coast Electric Vehicle Charging Plan, prepared for local governments in 2012, foresaw an eventual need to impose a fee. One of the recommendations pointed out that under B.C. law, owners of EV charging stations are not able to charge for the electricity unless they’re a recognized utility.
“Instead, station owners may charge for a service they provide. This means they can charge for the service of providing power or for the parking space,” the plan said. “Although most site owners expect to offer the service for free at first, in the longer term charging a fee will be necessary to recover costs and limit congestion at sites.
“For local governments, charging for use of the stations also sends a message that power is not free.”
