Arriving within the estimated timeline and now ready for use are nine electric vehicle chargers at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre at 700 Park Road.
The units were installed thanks to an agreement between the Town of Gibsons and BC Hydro, entered into in mid-2024.
"There was no cost to the Town for the EV stations, just staff time to facilitate the license to occupy Town land. We did cover the cost of installing a water service to the irrigation in the new garden bed (that is adjacent to the chargers) Gibsons' communications manager Bronwyn Kent told Coast Reporter in an April 9 email.
There are four DC Fast Chargers (DCFC), providing rapid charging for EVs, usually in a 30 to 40 minute timeframe, according to a report received by Town council last year. The five Level 2 Chargers (L2) are suitable for charging a vehicle over longer charging sessions. The units employ connector types CCS, CHAdeMO and J1772 and can provide services to a range of EVs. Users can activate chargers via the BC Hydro EV App, QR code, or an RFID card.
Also detailed in the report to council was the charging rate which is set at $0.3479 per kWh. Additional information on the BC Hydro EV charging network, including roaming partners, can be found at bchydro.com/ev.
According to chargehub.com, there are 21 public EV charging stations in the town, including options at the Gibsons Public Market and the Town's offices, both on Gower Point Road.
