Ile des Chenes to add second EV charger

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This article was published 12/03/2023 (862 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Electric vehicle charging capacity in Ile des Chenes is surging ahead with help from the province.

Late last month, the Manitoba government announced $150,000 in funding for Winnipeg-based Eco-West Canada to expand Manitoba’s EV charging network.

Seven new Level 3 charging stations will be added in six communities, including Ile des Chenes.

Dany Robidoux, Eco-West’s executive director, said the others will be installed in Thompson, The Pas, Cypress River, Holland, Treherne, and Dunnottar.

Robidoux said the province’s attention is shifting to rural regions now that Winnipeg and the Trans-Canada Highway corridor have a decent number of charging stations available.

Eco-West will purchase the charging stations this spring and install them over the summer or fall.

Ryan Faucher, economic development officer for the RM of Ritchot, said the Level 3 charger for Ile des Chenes will be installed beside the existing Level 2 charger outside the TC Energy Centre.

Ritchot currently has four Level 2 chargers spread throughout the rural municipality. Faucher said the charger in Ile des Chenes is used 30 or more times per month.

“It is the highest use station.”

Level 3 chargers replenish a battery up to 10 times faster than Level 2 chargers, Faucher said, making them more convenient for EV owners.

The charger will have two ends, one for Teslas and the other an industry-standard design that works with several makes and models.

The province also announced $70,000 for the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) to undertake a “wide-ranging regional transit feasibility study” for the Southeast.

“Transitioning to electric vehicles and increasing access to transit will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support a low-carbon economy and ensure affordability for Manitobans,” Kevin Klein, Manitoba’s new environment and climate minister, said in a release.

The government’s contributions will help secure matching funding from other project partners, Klein added.