BC Hydro has opened its first fast-charging hub on Vancouver Island with eight new charging ports for electric vehicles (EVs) in Colwood.
"This new electric vehicle charge hub in Colwood continues our work with BC Hydro and other partners to make cleaner options more accessible and affordable for all British Columbians," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions.
This hub site was built in collaboration with the City of Colwood and is located in the parking lot of Quarry Park at 3588 Quarry Street. It includes four 180-kilowatt chargers, which can add up to 180 kilometres of driving to an average EV in about 10 minutes. In addition to being faster, the units also offer dual charging or power sharing, which allows two customers to use the same charger. For example, a 180-kilowatt charger can adjust to provide two 90-kilowatt charging units, which allows up to eight EVs to use these four chargers at once.
"There is a growing community of EV drivers in the western communities and this new charge hub in Colwood will support them with access to reliable charging," said Darlene Rotchford, MLA for Esquimalt-Colwood. "This location is also wheelchair accessible with a curbless design, cable management systems and a lower display on the new chargers for better accessibility."
The adoption of EVs across British Columbia has increased significantly with more than 180,000 EVs on the road in B.C. BC Hydro predicts there will be between 700,000 and 900,000 EVs within the next 10 years.
"Expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Colwood is important for the growing number of EV owners in our community and helps to reduce our climate impacts and improve our air quality," said Doug Kobayashi, Mayor of Colwood. "It also stimulates our local economy by attracting eco-conscious businesses and creating new learning and employment opportunities in technology, construction, and maintenance of renewable energy infrastructure."
As BC Hydro continues to build its fast-charging network, it plans to focus on building more hub sites with multiple chargers along highway corridors and highly populated areas to provide a faster and more convenient experience for its customers. Future charge hubs are planned for Vancouver, Maple Ridge and Port Moody.
"British Columbians are embracing electric vehicles faster than any other jurisdiction in Canada and that's why we are continuing to make investments for growth within our current system and building out our fast-charging network across B.C.," said Chris O'Riley, President and CEO of BC Hydro. "These new chargers in Colwood will help support EV adoption and reduce range anxiety on Vancouver Island."
BC Hydro's provincewide fast charging network currently includes 432 charging ports at 135 sites in communities throughout B.C. BC Hydro is looking to double the number of charging ports in its network to 800 by spring 2026. The chargers are funded in a partnership with the Province of B.C. and Natural Resources Canada.
Contact:
BC Hydro Media Relations
Email: media@bchydro.com
Phone: 604 928 6468
