There are four new electric vehicle chargers now up and running in one of the town's parking lots.
The charging stations now installed in the Ste. Marie Street parking lot next to the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena are in addition to the six charging stations that have been running in the Pine Street lot since 2021.
Funding from National Resources Canada, a Federal Development Agency grant, and EPCOR helped cover the cost of the charging stations.
The recent installation was made possible through funding from National Resources Canada (NRCan), and a Federal Development Agency (RT07) grant. EPCOR, the electricity provider for the Town of Collingwood, facilitated the distribution of federal funding and provided technical assistance on the installation.
The new installation includes two Level 3 fast chargers and two Level 2 chargers. The rates for charging are $1.75/ hour for Level 2 and $0.35/ minute for Level 3. All rates are inclusive of parking and are subject to change based on operating and maintenance costs. Under Collingwood By-law No. 2020-050 only electric vehicles are permitted in these parking spaces, and they must be charging when parked.
As of December 2022, the charging stations in the Pine Street parking lot have been used for 1,247 charging events and have generated a diversion of approximately 8,740 litres of fuel, or 19,492 kilograms of CO2, according to a news release from the town.
