The City of Penticton will be getting almost $250,000 to expand its electric vehicle charging capacity.
The funding is being provided by both the provincial and federal governments and will go towards meeting the city’s climate action plan.
“This funding will allow us to increase the number of publicly available EV chargers in the community, notably with 50kW fast chargers. As demand increases, we want to ensure the capacity is in place to meet it,” said David Kassian, the city’s community sustainability coordinator.
READ MORE: Penticton council makes emission cuts a priority, sets new long-term targets
Four new direct-current-fast charging stations will be installed across the city, with the city contributing $90,000 from the Climate Action Reserve for the charging network expansion.
The City’s Climate Action Reserve is used to fund projects that increase sustainability and reduce energy and emissions.
On May 19, city council supported the adoption of a new corporate energy and emissions plan which calls for emissions cut of 15 per cent below 2009 levels by 2035 and 100 per cent by 2050.
These new stations are tentatively scheduled to be placed at city hall, the South Okanagan Events Centre, Skaha Lake Park and the SS Sicamous.
According to the city’s press release, the grant application was originally made in 2020 so staff will review the proposed locations to ensure the sites are still the best choice.
The city currently has two Level 2 chargers in operation in the Ellis Street parking lot, with another two scheduled to come on-line at City Hall in June.
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