Two companies have teamed up for a pilot project to provide electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in B.C. for areas where rideshare programs are heavily utilized.
And Burnaby is its first location.
In a release, Uber and Shell Recharge Solutions say the new initiative for the first six months will see the stations available exclusively to drivers on the Uber platform at a discount with the aim of encouraging adoption and a more convenient solution than at-home charging.
The companies say the longer-term goal is to apply its research to the creation of similar programs to increase EV adoptions in other cities throughout North America where ridesharing programs operate.
On Wednesday (Aug. 24), the first new charging station was put into operation at Metrotroplis at Metrotown in Burnaby in Lot 218.
Two more other chargers are expected to be available later this year with locations to be unveiled in the coming months.
"Indigo is thrilled to be the site host for these charging stations," said Indigo Park Canada CEO John Laires, who operates the parking facilities at Concord Metrotown.
"Indigo shares Canada’s overall sustainability goals, and we strive to bring access to charging stations on our parking facilities for EV drivers, especially high-mileage drivers like those who use Uber. As an owner and operator of parking facilities, our goal is to make EV charging more accessible, as we are focused on actively contributing to their deployment all over Canada. That’s why Indigo is proud to be part of this pilot project."
The pilot project is set to have a total of six charging ports with each site featuring 120 kW fast-charging stations that the companies say are faster than most on-the-road chargers and has charge ports for two vehicles.
According to the release, the Greater Vancouver area has the highest percentage of low-emission vehicles on Uber across all Canadian marks, but access to charging options remains a struggle.
"As the largest mobility platform in the world, we know the impact we have goes beyond technology. We have a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint, and we have an ambitious goal of becoming a zero-emissions platform by 2040 globally,” Uber general manager for Canada Mobility Michael van Hemmen added.
“Vancouver far outperforms other cities in North America in terms of EV drivers on Uber, but we know how difficult finding an on-the-road charging station can be. This project is going to have a big impact for existing EV drivers as well as encouraging drivers to make the switch.”
Uber Canada says the project is part of its work to become a zero-emission platform in major Canadian cities by 2030.
