Five “Off Grid” sites are currently being constructed along Highways 97 and 37 in the Northern Interior region of BC – thanks to BC Hydro.
The first of these 5 sites, the Pink Mountain – Buffalo Inn off-grid charging station at 23701 Highway 97 became active on August 21st.
With this new site, BC Hydro is now operating 244 ports at 98 sites across the Province. The BC Hydro owned and operated network is a wonderful complement to the Ministry of Transportation, community and private sector charging stations throughout the Province. The PlugShare charging station map https://www.plugshare.com/location/646628 is a good resource for finding out where all these charging stations are located, specifications and their status.
Each off-grid charging site will be available 24/7 and have:
- 1 X 25 KW DCFC charging station with ports supporting CCS and CHAdeMO
- 1 X 50 kW DCFC charging station with ports supporting CCS and CHAdeMO
- allowing up to 2 EVs to DCFC at the same time @ $0.3479/kWh + GST
- have a Starlink internet hotspot (instructions on-site)
- Once your vehicle finishes charging, you have five minutes to disconnect before being charged a $0.40 per-minute idle fee
- Non-networked
These charging stations are made possible through electrical generation using propane contained in 1,000-gallon tanks which are remotely monitored.
The following 4 additional off-grid charging stations should be live and in operation by September 15th:
- Tetsa River Lodge Mile – Highway 97 / 375 Alaska Hwy
- Liard Hot Springs Lodge – Highway 97 / 497 Alaska Hwy
- Lower Post Northern – Highway 97 / Near Yukon Border
- Bell 2 Lodge – Highway 37 / 249 Kitimat-Stikin
Note – the Lower Post site will be the last to be in operation, thus could be a little after the targeted September 15th.
If passing by, or better yet using these stations, BC Hydro would appreciate any and all feedback. Send feedback to Doug Beckett ldb@pgbeckett.ca and he will forward it on to BC Hydro.