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Pemberton awarded funding for electric vehicle charging stations

Lions Bay also getting cash to install charging stations near Highway 99
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Electric vehicle owners will soon be able to drive their cars as far as Pemberton.

The village is amongst a handful of communities across the province awarded funding to build charging stations. Pemberton will soon receive provincial government funding to install two charging stations.

Mayor Jordan Sturdy said the exact location of the stations is yet to be determined. He noted that the community centre was initially discussed but it was agreed that a higher profile location would be more appropriate.

He said two possible locations for the chargers are by the bus station and adjacent to the farmers' market.

Pemberton is getting more that $6,000 in funding to create the stations and Sturdy sees the installation of charging stations as a potential economic generator as Vancouver electric vehicle owners will know they can visit the community, recharge in Pemberton then make it back home in their electric car.

"It seems like the right thing to be doing," Sturdy said of creating charging stations in Pemberton.

Sturdy feels electric vehicles are proving to be more popular than vehicles powered by hydrogen.

"This represents a new vision for transportation," Sturdy said of electric car sales and the infrastructure required to move them. "They may replace the hydrogen highway. These may be more practical."

Sturdy also noted that the Pemberton Valley Lodge is planning to install charging stations for its guests.

Lions Bay is getting its first introduction into public charging stations as the Lions Bay General Store and Café was granted funding to create two charging stations for the Highway 99 community on the edge of Howe Sound.

The West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish was also awarded funding to install a charging station.

Whistler got an early jump on the electric car trend by installing a charge station at municipal hall and four at the Whistler Conference Centre. The Resort Municipality of Whistler was given more than $23,000 in September to install six more charging stations. Those new stations are expected to be ready by the end of December in Day Lot 1, the public works yard and Meadow Park Sports Centre.

The new stations announced for Pemberton, Lions Bay and Squamish have to be installed by the end of March.