Mission will soon be home to three electric car-charging stations.
Council has decided to install the stations throughout the coming year.
The first will go downtown, at Welton Common located at Second Avenue and Welton Street, followed by a second station that will be placed in the Mission Leisure Centre.
A third charger will be at city hall.
The announcement was made seconds before Mission resident Neil Smith was about to make a presentation to council – about the need for charging stations.
“You stole my thunder, but that’s OK,” Smith said to council, adding that he has been asking for them for the past year.
He explained there are three levels of chargers available. One will charge a vehicle in 10 to 15 hours, the second takes two to four hours and the third can charge a car in about 30 minutes.
Mission is looking to install the medium-sized chargers, meaning anyone who charges their vehicle will have to wait several hours.
“People who own electric vehicles spend money. They go shopping. So put your charging stations in a place where people can spend money,” Smith said.
He said most electric vehicle users are encouraged to increase the range of their cars by not traveling on freeways. That makes the Lougheed Highway attractive to them. However, the fact that Mission currently has no chargers means drivers avoid stopping here.
Smith said that will change once the chargers are installed. He also had some placement suggestions for council to avoid conflicts with drivers of gasoline vehicles.
“Don’t give them preferential parking stalls. Keep the chargers away from front doors.”
He said charging stations in Mission are not for the benefit of people who live here; rather, they benefit visitors.
Jamie Hayes, executive director of the Mission Downtown Business Association, said getting an electric car charger in the downtown core will be great for businesses.
“It was a fantastic surprise to hear that we were getting an electric car-charging station in downtown Mission. Because it takes several hours to charge an electric car, this gives shopper a great opportunity to experience downtown Mission,” said Hayes.