City of Burnaby says new EV charger lot is one of the largest in Canada

The City of Burnaby says its new EV-designated parking lot will accelerate its ability to transition to a fleet of zero-carbon city vehicles.

The parking lot at the west side of city hall has been fitted with 100 EV chargers, making it one of the largest electric vehicle-designated parking lots in the country.

It also includes a large-scale solar canopy that will “generate emissions-free energy”, which the city says is in line with its goal to eliminate emissions across all civic operations by 2040.

The $1.1 million project was funded by a $500,000 grant from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. The City of Burnaby contributed the remaining $650,000.

Burnaby plans to install an additional 200 EV chargers across the city over the next three years, mostly for city fleet vehicles.

“This is an exciting project for the City of Burnaby as we strive to activate our community to more rapid action on climate change,” said Mayor Mike Hurley in a press release.

“We are grateful for the federal government’s significant contribution to this project, as it will not only act as a catalyst for our fleet electrification but also as a source of inspiration for our community to act fast to achieve carbon neutrality.”

About 32 public-use EV chargers are available at some community centres, recreation facilities, libraries, and parks in the city. A press release said the City of Burnaby plans to add additional charging stations, including DC fast charging stations, where needed.

You can find a map of all public electric vehicle charging stations owned by the city here.

The city charges $2/hr for the use of EV chargers between 6am-10pm, and $1/hr between 10pm-6am.