Revelstoke’s new electric car charging station hasn’t gotten any use in the month since it opened, but the people who built it are hoping users will come.
The Direct Current Fast Charging Station for Electric Vehicles opened outside the Visitor Information Centre in late March
The $15,400 station was funded by the province’s Clean Energy Vehicle Program and the federal ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative. The station is owned by BC Hydro and leased to the City of Revelstoke for $1 per month over the next five years. While BC Hydro installed the station, it will be maintained by the city.
It is the third electric vehicle charging station in Revelstoke. There are two at the Best Western Hotel – one regular one and one Tesla Supercharger station. Brady Beruschi, the manager of the Best Western, said the Tesla station is used about once a week.
The new station outside the Visitor Information Centre is listed on the Plugshare.com website and Greenlots app so electric vehicle owners know it is there. It will cost $0.35 per kilowatt-hour to use, or about $2 to $7 to charge a vehicle.
“Revelstoke is pleased to be a partner in this initiative,” said Mayor Mark McKee in a news release. “We would like to thank BC Hydro and other senior levels of government for their leadership in promoting the use of electric vehicles in our community and across the province.”