Clean energy group push for fast-working electric car chargers from Kamloops to Haida Gwaii

A non-profit clean energy group wants to make it easier for electric cars to travel along northern B.C. highways.

The Community Energy Association is traveling from Prince George to Haida Gwaii, asking local governments for their support in setting up a network of charging stations designed to quickly refuel electric vehicles. 

As it stands, electric vehicle drivers in rural B.C. are largely reliant on household electrical outlets which can take hours to recharge a battery.

In contrast, DC — or direct current — fast charging stations can complete the task in a half-hour or less.

This makes it more feasible for people to use electric vehicles on long road trips between northern B.C. communities said Dale Littlejohn, executive director of the Community Energy Association.

 "We want people to feel they can comfortably and safely drive around wherever they need to go and be able to charge," he said.

The group has already secured support for a network of DC fast charging stations in the Kootenay region, and now want to expand that from Kamloops to Haida Gwaii along Highway 16.

The first step is to conduct a feasibility study to determine the best locations for new stations. Littlejohn hopes regional districts in northern B.C. will help pay for that study.

From there, the organization would work with local and provincial governments to secure funding to set up the stations, which Littlejohn said cost around $35,000 each.

He said northern B.C.`s winter weather isn't a concern, pointing out that Quebec has the highest rate of electric vehicle adoption in Canada "and it gets very cold there."

He also said there's already been an increase in electric vehicles in the Kootenays as a result of the charging station network being set up there, a pattern he would expect to repeat in northern B.C.

"It can shift quickly," he said.