Harbour Air going electric
Wood pellet exports double
Nearly $500K for car crash
CRA will get the money: PM
PM tight-lipped on TikTok
Minister defends right to bail
Ukraine uses new missiles
Biden signs war aid measure
New US rules for airlines 
BoC officials split on rate cut
Big loss for Boeing 
Metro sales edged higher
Warriors snakebitten in loss
Iginla off to Europe
Rockets ink prospect
Perry teams with Lu Kala
Megan denies harassment
Swift ‘one of the family’
BC Hydro's final electric vehicle charging station was officially unveiled in Vernon Friday morning, the 30th station the utility has installed throughout the province.
The electric vehicle charging station, located near the Greyhound Station on 31st Avenue, isn't the first charging station in Vernon, but it will be the last, at least for the time being.
BC Hydro, with funding from the federal government and the province, has been installing the charging stations, at a cost of $100,000 each, across the province since 2012.
The cost of the electricity at the stations are determined by the municipality they're in, but as of now, the Vernon stations are free to use.
“Maybe it's free forever, we don't know,” said Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund. “Council will look at the information we get and like I said, maybe it's free, that's fine with me, I have no problem with it.”
BC Hydro has recommended municipalities charge 35 cents per kilowatt hour at their charging stations. The average residential electricity fee is 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
In addition to the 30 charging stations BC Hydro has installed in B.C., Tesla Motors has installed six stations in the province, that can only charge Tesla vehicles.
“B.C. leads the country in terms of per capita adoption of electric vehicles,” said Bill Bennett, B.C.'s minister of energy and mines. “We also have the largest charging infrastructure in the country.”
Keith Anderson, BC Hydro's vice president of customer service, says despite just finishing installing their final charging station, BC Hydro is looking to get funding for more.
“We've got a current application in with the federal government and NRCan (Natural Resources Canada) for a potential for another 34,” said Anderson.
Bennett said transportation is responsible for 30-35 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Transportation is an area where we can really make a difference,” Bennett said. “Getting more electric vehicles on the road is obviously a positive thing and that's why we're investing in it.”
