Lethbridge charges up with 22 new electric vehicle charging stations

A person can be seen charging an electric vehicle above.

LETHBRIDGE — As the popularity of electric vehicles in Lethbridge and Alberta increases, so does the need for charging stations.

On Friday, the City of Lethbridge added 22 new charging stations, to meet current demand and prepare for expected future spike in EV drivers.

"We're forever changing and becoming greener, so we need to be a part of that moving forward," said Mayor Blaine Hyggen.

"As we transition to battery electric vehicles, and today the mandate is that by 2035, all new vehicles will be battery only, this type of infrastructure will be required to keep people on the move," added Stewart Purkis, project manager and infrastructure engineer with the city's waste and environment department.

The new charging stations were added to the Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens parking lot, city hall, the Enmax Centre and the Lethbridge Regional Park 'n' Ride.

Nikka Yuko has two 100 kW capacity FLO DC fast chargers that cost $25 per hour.

These represent the fastest charging stations for EV drivers south of Calgary.

Meanwhile, the other three locations have level 2 FLO chargers offering 6.2 kW delivery at $2 per hour.

The Park 'n' Ride has 10 units, the Enmax Centre has six and city hall has four.

These are in addition to stations installed about five years ago at the Cavendish Farms Centre in west Lethbridge and the Community Health Site by Park Place Mall.

"The sizes of charges are increasing and the number of them going in, I think, will be jaw-dropping to actually support the cars coming in," said Purkis.

Hyggen says the city and council have seen the need for these stations and feel it's important to grow with the times.

"They've expanded so much and so it just really shows the sustainability of how we're moving through our community and trying to tailor to those that do have EV vehicles as well," he said.

The availability of these new chargers makes it easier on EV and hybrid drivers who have lengthy commutes.

"I'm looking at anywhere from 500 to 1,000 kilometres a week," said Genevieve Boyd, an electric hybrid owner.

"The fact that we have something so close to my workplace and all over the city is amazing."

Boyd says she'll now be able to save at least $150 on gas a month.

The city also has a new all-electric van for the Galt Museum and is hoping, in the near future, to change its entire fleet to electric vehicles.

For more information on the new EV charging stations, you can visit the City of Lethbridge’s website.