Provincial and federal funding helped get electric vehicle chargers installed at the grounds of Nanaimo Airport.
According to a press release, $400,000 is being be invested for four electric vehicle fast-chargers on the Nanaimo Airport site in Cassidy. This week, Seamus O’Regan, federal minister of natural resources, announced that $200,000 from Natural Resources Canada’s electric vehicle and alternative fuel infrastructure deployment initiative would go toward the charge stations. Nanaimo Airport and the Government of B.C., through the Clean B.C. Go Electric program, will contribute $100,000 each, the press release said.
The infrastructure resulting from the investments aims to ensure that electric vehicle owners can drive and charge their vehicles across the nation, said the press release. Money will also support “demonstration of next-generation charging technologies, as well as the development of enabling codes and standards.”
“Making electric vehicles more affordable and accessible to Canadians is an important part of our government’s plan to cut pollution and create jobs across the country,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, federal minister of environment and climate change, in the press release. “Investing in charging stations in B.C. and beyond will support our local economies and help us create a cleaner, healthier future.”
Dave Devana, Nanaimo Airport president and CEO, said the airport takes pride in being proactive with environmental stewardship, and also with its customer service enhancements.
“These EV stations … will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions while enabling us to embrace sustainability,” he said.
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