Victoria sets new public electric vehicle charging fees

More public plug-in spots set to open in Victoria this year now have updated user fees for electric vehicle drivers.

Bylaws that set vehicle charging fees for city parkade and surface parking lots were amended on May 26.

City-owned electric vehicle charging stations have been around since 2013 and users have been paying a $1 per hour fee ever since January 2021.

The updated fee for a Level 1 charge station is $1 per eight-hour plug-in. Each hour connected to one of these ports gives drivers about eight kilometres worth of juice, according to BC Hydro.

Level 2 stations, which can power a 30-km trip with an hour-long jolt, without power-sharing will still cost $1 per hour, while those with power-sharing will see drivers dish out a quarter for every hour they’re plugged in.

Power-sharing evenly distributes electricity to all the vehicles plugged in at a charging location. For example, four EVs connected to four power-share chargers on the same circuit would each receive 25 per cent of the available electrical capacity.

READ: Victoria aims to add 650 public electric vehicle charging stations over 5 years

City permit holders will be able to pay a $35 monthly fee for using designated Level 2 spots.

The city’s update also looked to fill a gap, as no fee was in place for public direct current fast-charging stations. Those can produce a 100-kilometre charge in 30 minutes, according to BC Hydro.

Fees are broken down based on the output level of the fast charger. A 25-kilowatt station will run for $5 per hour, with 50 and 100-kilowatt fast charger rates respectively coming in at $12 and $16 per hour.

Victoria is looking to add 100 new Level 2 and six fast-charge stations this year. The goal is to open 650 new public stations, including 33 fast-charging ports, by 2027. That looks to support the 30 per cent of all passenger vehicles that Victoria wants to be electric by 2030.

A map of public and private charging stations can be found at ChargeHub.com.