When the municipality of Summerland installed three electric vehicle charging stations in the spring of 2013, some in the community questioned the decision.
One of the reasons was a concern that there were not enough electric vehicles on the roads to justify this initiative.
And at the time, it was easy to reach such a conclusion.
Electric vehicles were not all that common. They were seen as something of a novelty.
In 2014, the first full year the charging stations were in use, there were just 43 charging sessions at all three of the stations.
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But during the following years, it has become increasingly common to see electric vehicles on the roads.
And it is also increasingly common to see electric vehicles parked at charging stations in Summerland.
In 2018, there were 740 charging sessions in Summerland for a total of 88,770 charging minutes.
That’s more than 20 times as much activity as the stations saw in 2014.
This increase suggests the move towards electric vehicles is not a fad but rather a growing trend.
If this trend continues at the rate we have seen during the past five years, it will soon be time to add more stations to meet an increasing demand.
Discussions about additional charging stations are already in the works at the municipality, although it is not known when more charging stations would be added.
As gasoline prices continue to increase and as electric vehicle technology continues to improve, it is likely a growing number of motorists will make the switch away from fossil fuels to electrical power.
This trend has already started.
As electric vehicles become commonplace, it will be important for communities to have charging facilities in place for these drivers.
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