An electric vehicle charging station in Okotoks is temporarily unavailable as it's being replaced with a model that can accept payment.
Town-owned charging stations had been available to drivers for free, but during recent budget discussions, the decision was made to start charging a fee for the service.
Four charging stations at the Arts and Learning Campus were already able to collect payment and have been doing so since last month, while chargers at the Municipal Centre are being replaced with one Level 2 charger that can accept payment.
The upgraded charger should be available for use by the end of the week, the Town said.
As laid out in the 2024 fees bylaw, Level 2 chargers will set users back $2 per hour of charging time, a fee the Town said is based on what other municipalities charge and that takes into account the cost of electricity, operation and maintenance costs.
Ben Morgan, senior strategist with the Town of Okotoks, said it is too early to know how the fee has affected use of the Arts and Learning Campus charging stations.
The chargers that are being replaced at the Municipal Centre were provided through a grant at no cost to the Town, as long as electricity was provided to users at no cost, Morgan said.
The cost to the Town averaged out to be less than $1 per charge, he said.
With the price of electricity increasing, and as the Town installs more EV charging stations in response to what it said is growing demand, the Town is looking to recover costs for electricity and maintenance.
Costs to replace and operate the new charger at the Municipal Centre are expected to be recovered within five years, and then it will become a revenue source for the Town, Morgan said.
The Town said previously it cost about $600 per year to provide power for the chargers at the Arts and Learning Campus and Municipal Centre.
According to the Town’s website, Level 1 chargers at the Operations Centre are still available at no charge.
Although the Town does not have any of the faster Level 3 chargers, it would charge $22.20/per hour for those.
The Level 2 chargers are operated through a third-party network manager that collects fees through an app.
