'Only the beginning': FortisBC celebrates milestone of 10,000 EV charges in BC

Since charging its first electric vehicle (EV) in 2018, FortisBC's EV direct current fast charge network has taken off in a major way.

The company said it recently passed its 10,000th charge and, with the number of EVs on BC roads growing daily, predicted that the charge amount will be doubled and the 20,000 charge milestone will be hit by the end of 2022.

“This milestone is only the beginning,” said Michael Leyland, FortisBC's innovative initiatives manager.

“The projected spike to 20,000 charges by the end of 2022 shows us that there is an increasing need for more public charging stations as more British Columbians continue to seek out electric vehicles.”

According to FortisBC, the transportation sector produces roughly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions in BC, making it the largest greenhouse gas emission footprint in the province.

The company explained that making EV charging more convenient and accessible can help encourage the adoption of cleaner energy choices for transportation.

FortisBC currently operates 32 charging stations at 20 different locations across BC, and they are moving towards 40 stations at 22 different sites by the end of 2021.

Since beginning to explore EV charging stations in 2015, FortisBC has partnered with communities in the Kootenays and Okanagan to build and expand their fast-charging electric service territory.

The number of stations are seeing a steady growth in the BC Interior through consistent innovation and partnerships.

The system will be further enhanced with support from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program and the Province’s CleanBC Go Electric program, which will install three 100 kilowatt (kW) stations in Princeton, Castlegar and Greenwood by the end of this year.

These high-capacity stations are in addition to three 100 kW stations previously installed stations in Kelowna, Osoyoos and Rock Creek.

Through the Province’s CleanBC plan, FortisBC said it is working with the provincial government to offer rebates for installing charging stations in homes, apartment buildings and workplaces.

FortisBC’s claimed they are striving to build more EV charging stations, to work toward their 30BY30 target – a goal of reducing its customers’ GHG emissions by 30% compared to 2007 levels – by the year 2030.

The company currently owns and operates four regulated hydroelectric generating plants, as well as transmission and distribution power lines.

This supports the Province’s own climate action goals which is explained in the CleanBC plan.