BC Hydro’s electric vehicle fast charging site open in Agassiz
AGASSIZ: A new BC Hydro electric vehicle fast charging site is now operational in Agassiz. It was built in collaboration with the Seabird Island First Nation and adds to the company’s growing network of more than 100 public fast chargers in B.C.
“Seabird Island Band is pleased to provide EV charging stations at our fueling station, in aid of a cleaner greener source of power for the traffic driving Highway 7 through our land and traditional territory,” says Chief James Harris of the Seabird Island First Nation. “Protecting the environment is a task that belongs to all of us.”
The Agassiz site is hosted by the Seabird Island First Nation. It opened March 11 and is located at 3971 Chowat Road on the same property as the Sqéwqel Gas Bar.
“We are working to make it easier for drivers in B.C. to go electric and take advantage of B.C.’s clean, reliable hydroelectricity,” says Hon. Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low-Carbon Innovation. “This location in Agassiz will help make public charging more convenient as an increasing number of people in the eastern Fraser Valley shift to an electric vehicle. The station also adds to our growing EV charging options, bringing us another step closer to achieving our CleanBC goal of completing B.C.’s electric highway.”
The charge site includes two 50-kilowatt charging units. Each unit can add 50 kilometres of driving to an average electric vehicle in about 10 minutes.
“This site in Agassiz was selected with safety, inclusiveness and convenience in mind,” says Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent. “The site is wheelchair accessible and is right beside the well-lit Sqéwqel Gas Bar.”
Transportation accounts for about 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in B.C. In September, BC Hydro revealed its Electrification Plan, with initiatives to encourage B.C. residents, businesses and industries to switch to hydroelectricity from fossil fuels to help reduce carbon emissions. The plan encourages switching from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles.
“As the primary fuel supplier for electric vehicles, we are building out charging infrastructure to ensure we can accommodate the volume and variety of electric vehicles that will be on B.C. roads in the coming years,” says Chris O’Riley, President and CEO of BC Hydro. “BC Hydro will add 325 charging units to it’s network at 145 sites within the next five years.”
BC Hydro’s provincewide fast charging network now includes 112 fast charging units at 77 sites in communities throughout B.C. The chargers are funded in a partnership with the Province of B.C. and Natural Resources Canada.
Contact:
BC Hydro Media Relations
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