BONNYVILLE – The Town of Bonnyville council is putting the brakes on pursuing the purchase and installation of a Level 2 electric vehicle charging station in the town. This follows an unsuccessful application that could have seen up to 100 per cent of the project cost recovered through a climate change grant.
In early 2022, council agreed to submit an expression of interest for an Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Program offered by the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre.
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During a regular council meeting on Jan. 24, administration informed council that the Town’s submission for the rebate program was unsuccessful.
“Unfortunately, due to the timing of our submission, we were waiting for quotes for the equipment, all of the funding under the EVC program had been allocated and our application was unsuccessful,” said Renee Stoyles, the Town’s manager of corporate services, to council.
However, administration has since found another electric vehicle charging station rebate program that was announced in December.
The Southgrow Regional Initiative, if approved, could provide a rebate of up to 46 per cent of the total costs or $5,000 per connector for a networked Level 2 charging station, which Stoyles noted was the charger type submitted in the previous application.
Based on the administration's findings, the estimated cost for the installation of a charging station is $22,153.
Funding from the new rebate program, if approved, would total $5,000 and the Town would be on the hook for the remainder of the costs, estimated to be $18,153, Stoyles told council.
Little appetite for electric
With Level 2 charging stations already operational at Bonnyville Centralized High School, the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre, and some local hotels, council expressed a lack of appetite to set aside unexpected funding to pursue another electric vehicle charging station – for the time being.
“I don't know if we need it right now, and maybe there's more of these programs coming down the pipe,” said Coun. Phil Kushnir.
Council also made it clear they were not keen to apply for a rebate that only promised up to 46 per cent of costs, if approved, following the initial rebate that may have provided up to 100 per cent of total costs.
“At this point, there's not a lot of electric vehicles in the area. There are a few [and] it's something that we are probably going to see increasingly more,” acknowledged Coun. Byron Johnson, who added he is more interested in administration looking into the possibility of a Level 3 EVC station for the Town.
A Level 3 charging station is the fastest type of charging station currently available on the market for electric vehicles. Delivering 480 volts, Level 3 stations can charge most electric vehicles to about 80 per cent capacity in as little as 30 minutes, according to most manufacturers.
Level 2 EVC stations can take anywhere between six to 12 hours to fully charge an electric vehicle while utilizing 240 volts.
Most people who are passing through town or visiting want a quicker charge for their vehicle so that they can continue on their journey, expressed Johnson.
“I know Level 3 is very expensive compared to Level 2... But we're going to see it more and more, and people will be looking for them,” he added.
Coun. Neil Langridge noted that before the town pursues another expression of interest for another rebate program for electric vehicle charging stations, council should decide what would have the greatest benefit for the community.
“To me, if this is a priority of council going forward, we should have a plan for it instead of just reacting,” said Langridge. “I would rather us take a longer look at this and potentially look at the 2024 budget for these items instead of looking at it and trying to force it through in 2023.”
Coun. Brian McEvoy echoed sentiments expressed by other council members.
Mayor Elisa Brosseau added that if more EVC stations is something council wished to pursue that they need to start by making a plan.
Town administration was giving the direction to look at opportunities to install a Level 3 EVC station for future consideration by council.
