As of March 1, fees will be charged at municipally run electric vehicle charging stations – council formally adopted the bylaw on Monday evening, which allows city staff to roll out the fees.

Furthermore, non-electrical vehicles won’t be allowed in the EV charging spaces and can be fined for parking there.

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The fees are meant to encourage drivers to move their cars once they’re charged. About 30 per cent of the time electric vehicles are being left up in the charging stations is considered “idle” time, that is, the vehicle isn’t being charged.

“When visiting a city facility, we want our citizens to have access to EV charging stations while, at the same time, recognizing and respecting other users by moving their vehicle once it has been charged,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie in a press release.

The city is also creating 28 new Level 2 charging stations and four Level 3 – fast charging – stations throughout the city in 2020 and 2021.

These will be located at city hall, the Oval, King George Park, Richmond Ice Centre, Steveston Tennis Club, West Richmond Community Centre, Britannia Shipyards, Garden City Park, Minoru Arenas, South Arm Community Centre, Blundell Park and Hamilton Community Centre.

As of March 1, EV users will pay up to $2 per hour for the first two hours and up to $5 per hour thereafter at a Level 2 charging station. Those using a Level 3 DC fast-charging station will pay up to $8 per hour at 25 kW station or up to $16 per hour at a 50 kW station. Users will pay only for the time they are actually plugged in on a minute-by-minute basis.

The city-owned EV charging stations are already equipped with the infrastructure required to charge fees. Notifications at stations are being posted to advise EV customers of the new fees and requirements.