As part of the City’s ongoing efforts to reduce our community’s greenhouse gas emissions, the City is offering multi-unit residential buildings the opportunity to apply for a free analysis that outlines the steps required to install electric vehicle charging facilities.
“We’re proud of the steps the City is taking toward making cleaner climate choices as part of our Community Climate Action Plan. We realize this transition to a greener future comes with its challenges, so we hope this initiative will encourage local multi-unit residential buildings to sign up for this free report as a first step to becoming EV Ready,” says Mayor Julius Bloomfield.
EV Ready Plans will be offered for a limited time on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are open now, with further information available at penticton.ca/ev-ready.
Funding for the EV Ready program is coming in part from the City’s new Blue Skies Transportation Fund (BSTF), which aims to address rising emissions from passenger vehicles in our community. Transportation accounts for 55 per cent of Penticton’s community greenhouse gas emissions, and 50 per cent of energy expenditures. The BSTF includes funding from the Province’s Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP).
The EV Ready program is also partly funded through grants from the Clean BC – Go Electric EV Charger Rebate Program, with support from the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, and is administered by BC Hydro and FortisBC.
“With the growing number of electric vehicles on the road, people are increasingly looking for places to live that are equipped with EV charging facilities. By providing this study at no cost, it will help provide stratas and building managers with a full picture of what would be required to retrofit their buildings,” says David Kassian, Sustainability Supervisor.
The City is also inviting suggestions from the community on how to improve local programs and amenities that support active transportation. Visit shapeyourcitypenticton.ca to provide comments before May 14, 2023.