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PENTICTON – Residents and visitors will be able to get a charge — literally — from a new partnership between Province of British Columbia, City of Penticton, BC Hydro and FortisBC that has resulted in the installation of an electrical vehicle charging station in Downtown Penticton.

Through BC Clean Energy Vehicle Program, BC Hydro is working to deploy up to 30 direct current (DC) fast charging stations across B.C., and one has been placed in the Backstreet Boulevard parking lot, just to the east of the 200 block of Main Street near the breezeway.

DC fast charging stations allow electric vehicle owners to rapidly recharge their vehicles and will give the owners of electric vehicles the confidence to travel between communities. Electric cars using fast chargers can achieve an 80 per cent charge in only 20 or 30 minutes, compared to the four to eight hours required to charge a vehicle with a Level 2 charging station (240 V) or overnight using a standard 120 V wall outlet.

To date, BC Hydro has built a functional network in the Lower Mainland, and seven DC fast charging stations in Nanaimo, Duncan, Surrey, Merritt, Kamloops, Squamish and Langley. Penticton is part of the South Interior Highway Loop Network, proposed to connect Okanagan and Interior communities to the provincial program.

“Over the next three years, our government is investing $7.5 million in purchase incentives that will be offered to consumers,” said Penticton MLA Dan Ashton. “We are also putting $1.59 million into fuelling and charging infrastructure so that buying an electric car is more appealing to British Columbians.”

The DC charging station meets the general goals of the City of Penticton’s Community Climate Action Plan and delivers on action items identified in the Downtown Plan – a long-term document that maps out tangible steps to revitalize Downtown Penticton.

“The City of Penticton is proud to join the South Interior Highway Loop Network and offer sustainable amenities in our vibrant commercial core for visitors and residents alike,” said Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit. “The DC fast charging station initiative is an excellent example of how partnerships make a big difference in bringing new innovations to communities like ours.”

Under mobility policies, the Downtown Plan identifies alternative transportation infrastructure in appropriate locations Downtown as beneficial to encourage sustainable space. Installing a DC charging station is one step toward creating a “transportation hub” that will draw more people into the commercial core.

For more information, visit www.penticton.ca/downtown.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015