The government of Canada will invest $4.3-million in British Columbia to help the province expand its electric vehicle charging and refuelling infrastructure.
The announcement was made by Terry Beech, Member of Parliament for Burnaby North–Seymour, on behalf of Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr.
“Building green infrastructure paves the way to a low-carbon future by reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Beech. “Our government is proud to make investments that will reduce costs and address potential hurdles for the deployment of next-generation electric vehicle charging infrastructure in urban areas.”
Funding will be provided to three recipients: the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation and B.C. Hydro.
The British Columbia Institute of Technology is expected to demonstrate Level 2 EV charging stations in various urban areas and commercial parking lots in the province, with a focus on the areas that can benefit from the grid’s existing electrical capacity. The institute also plans to come up with a way to control and monitor EV chargers from different vendors.
“This funding is an important step in the evolution of the British Columbia Institute of Technology Energy OASIS project and an investment in our sustainable transportation future,” said Kim Dotto, Dean, Applied Research, British Columbia Institute of Technology. “The BCIT Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team is proud to be leading first-in-Canada applied research solutions that will reduce barriers to the adoption of electric vehicles.”
The $4.3-million funding in B.C. builds on the government’s $182.5-million total investment, which is meant to help grow the country’s electric and alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure to ensure these vehicles become more convenient for Canadians.
