Joke: how many EV chargers does it take to get Whistler day-trip skiers home at the end of the day? Punchline: a lot more than available.
OK, not very funny. But it’s not funny either when you need to charge your EV to get home and there is a 60-plus-minute lineup for the two public chargers in Whistler. It’s like having two gas pumps in all of Whistler that each take 30 minutes to fill a vehicle. There are other chargers, but they are inside private parkades and/or low power units that take hours to give enough charge to get you to Squamish, Vancouver, or Seattle.
Currently, there are a lot more gasoline than electric vehicles driving up and down Highway 99. However, this has to (and will) change to reduce carbon emissions. But lack of charging stations is a deterrent. Most car trips are short-distance commutes and manageable with current charging infrastructure. But the range anxiety associated with a Whistler-type day trip is one of the main deterrents for people considering a switch to electric.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) made a commitment to zero emissions for 50 per cent of vehicle kilometres travelled by 2030. Vail Resorts made a public commitment in November 2021 to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. But the operating footprint of Whistler doesn’t end at the Creekside gondola. It’s time for Vail and the RMOW to step up and build EV infrastructure at scale.
