Free charge electric vehicle stations announced in Saskatoon as pilot project

The Lakewood and Lawson Civic Centres in Saskatoon each have new electric vehicle charging stations that are available to use at no cost.

The city made the announcement Tuesday, noting this will help bring down barriers for those who might be considering switching from gas-powered vehicles to electric.

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“We are piloting these at two locations to help inform our future plans for EV charging infrastructure and to share these lessons with Saskatoon’s business community that also might be considering investing in EV infrastructure. We know that using electric vehicles isn’t the silver bullet in terms of climate change action, but simply put, EVs do ultimately result in lower greenhouse gas emissions and better air quality,” said Amber Weckworth, manager of climate, strategy, and data.

The city said there are more than 30 charging stations in the city, with at least 600 battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Saskatoon.

It added that the adoption of electric vehicles is expected to expand, noting the city’s Low Emissions Community Plan has a milestone target of having 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030, with that rising to 90 per cent by 2050.

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Vehicles can be plugged in for up to three hours to get a free charge, with the city saying they’ll be looking at the pilot project in two years to see if that system works.

“The reason that we’ve made them free for now is really so that we can test out how it works.”

She said they understand that a three-hour limit won’t fully charge a vehicle, but would give about a 120-kilometre range.

“It’s a nice top-up if you’re using the leisure centre, or walking over to the mall.”

She said if residents notice a vehicle has been there for more than three hours they can call the customer service line and parking enforcement will come out and issue a ticket.