Starting December 15, EV drivers will have to pay to use charging stations in Whistler’s Day Lots.
The fees are set at $1 an hour, with a maximum cost of $5 a day, and will be charged in addition to regular Day Lot parking fees. Rates at other RMOW-operated EV stations will remain at $1 an hour.
The fees are an “important step” in EV adoption in Whistler and beyond, said Mayor Jack Crompton in a release.
“I look forward to seeing people continue to choose EVs and am hopeful that by 2030 half of all car trips in Whistler will be with EVs,” he said.
The RMOW’s EV fee strategy was first presented to council in March, and consists of three phases. Phases one and two introduced fees at RMOW charging stations outside of the Day Lots, then in the Day Lots, respectively.
A third phase proposes to use usage data gleaned from the first two phases to build a long-term strategy around fees, primarily with a goal of keeping EV commuting more cost-effective than driving a traditional car.
The strategy “has been carefully considered to support EV adoption while incentivizing home charging, increasing turnover at charging stations, and recovering municipal operating costs,” according to the RMOW, which noted similar fees are in place in other communities.
One of the goals in the RMOW’s Climate Action Big Moves Strategy is to have 50 per cent of all vehicle trips in Whistler be by zero-emission vehicle by 2030.
To that end, the RMOW is partnering with the Community Energy Association to develop an electric vehicle strategy for the resort, which is expected to be shared publicly in spring 2022.
The RMOW currently operates 19 Level 2 vehicle-charging stations at the Day Lots, Whistler Conference Centre, Municipal Hall, Meadow Park Sports Centre and Public Works Yard, and is exploring installing additional chargers.
Questions or comments about the fees can be sent to [email protected], and more info can be found at whistler.ca/climate.
