Ladysmith town councillors unanimously recommended a motion to implement a charging fee for electric vehicles at public charging stations.
The motion, put forward by Mayor Aaron Stone, was discussed at the March 14 committee of the whole meeting.
“As an EV owner, it’s my expectation now that when I go to fuel up my vehicle away from home, I’m paying for it,” said Stone at the meeting.
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The charging stations, first installed in 2013, have been allowed to be free because of a subsidy “we probably burned through years ago,” according to Stone. It was the earliest initiative to “attract EV drivers to our community, encourage EV adoption and to draw tourism.”
“I’m all for a bonus for early adopters,” said Coun. Marsh Stevens at the meeting. “But we are a better part of a decade in now.”
The motion specifies that the money collected from the fees will be put toward ensuring cost recovery “for energy consumption, equipment maintenance and end-of-life replacement of charging infrastructure.”
Town council will be presented with options for fees at a later date; however, Stone said he would like to implement the fees with new ChargePoint chargers that are set to replace the existing chargers in town.
bailey.seymour@nanaimobulletin.com
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