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Victoria begins electric vehicle fast-charger rollout with Vic West Park ports

City wants about one-third of vehicles to be renewably powered by 2030
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The City of Victoria has opened two electric vehicle fast chargers at the Vic West Park parking lot. (Google Streetview)

Victoria has opened two electric vehicle fast chargers at Vic West Park as it begins expanding the public plug-in options in the city.

The 50-kilowatt direct current fast chargers are located in the Bay Street parking lot at the park and are the first of 30 that will be rolled out in neighbourhoods across the city.

Direct current fast chargers provide a quicker boost than Level 2 stations as they can provide an 80 per cent charge in about an hour, depending on the vehicle’s make, model and battery.

The fast charging stations will be located near apartments and other multi-family housing types in order to reach residents who don’t have access to at-home plug-in options.

“By installing EV charging in neighbourhood centres close to where people live and spend time, we’re giving people confidence that they can make the switch to an EV knowing there will be convenient places to charge close to home,” Mayor Lisa Helps said in a news release.

The city put $1.5 million toward electric vehicle infrastructure in its 2022 budget, with additional funding coming from the provincial and federal governments. Provincial CleanBC funding also went into the Vic West Park stations.

The city aims to have 30 per cent of passenger vehicles be renewable-powered by 2030. Victoria’s electric vehicle strategy plans to spend $8.5 million between 2022 and 2027 on expanding the public charging network, with 650 new public stations.

READ: Victoria aims to add 650 public electric vehicle charging stations over 5 years


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Jake Romphf

About the Author: Jake Romphf

In early 2021, I made the move from the Great Lakes to Greater Victoria with the aim of experiencing more of the country I report on.
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