Summerland motorists are embracing electric vehicles, according to data from the municipality.
Since 2020, the number of charging sessions, the dollar value of charging fees collected and the number of kilowatt hours delivered at the community鈥檚 electric vehicle charging stations have all risen significantly.
In a report to Summerland council, Odessa Cohen outlined the increases in use at Summerland鈥檚 electric vehicle charging stations.
In 2020, Summerland鈥檚 charging stations delivered 12,120.7 kilowatt hours of power in 1,109 charging sessions. The municipality collected $19 in charging fees that year.
In 2024, the charging stations delivered four times as much power, with 48,093 kilowatt hours of power in 2,446 charging sessions. The municipality collected $20,072 from these charging sessions.
In 2024, a total of 833 people used the electric vehicle charging stations, up from 427 in 2023.
At present, Summerland has a total of 25 public electric vehicle charging stations around the community. Of these, 19 are Level 2 chargers and six are Level 3 chargers.
The Level 3 chargers, also known as fast chargers, have seen an increase in demand.
While the charging stations are set up in the downtown area west, Lowertown, Memorial Park, Municipal Hall and the Turner Street park, the greatest use is at Memorial Park, followed by the downtown area west.
In late April 2013, Summerland opened its first charging stations, when three Level 2 stations were set up within the community. At that time, there were no fees in place to use these stations.
In 2019 and 2020, Summerland received two grants from NRCan to install a total of 22 charging stations, with 16 Level 2 chargers and six Level 3 chargers.
Cohen said the charging stations, funded by the federal and provincial governments and the municipality, have contributed to the federal goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
The stations are also contributing to Summerland鈥檚 emission reduction goals of 80 per cent by 2050.
The charging stations also support the federal target of 100 per cent zero emission passenger vehicle sales by 2040.
