Teck Resources Limited (Teck), Portable Electric, a Vancouver-based energy technology company, and B.C. based non-profit Community Energy Association are collaborating to deploy Canada’s largest clean energy, mobile electric vehicle (EV) charger to the East Kootenays, starting in the communities of Fernie, Elkford and Sparwood this summer.

Jeff Hanman, Vice President, Sustainable Development, Coal, Teck commented, “We are excited to help launch Canada’s largest mobile EV charger in the East Kootenays this summer and support charging infrastructure that will serve residents and tourists. Teck is committed to supporting the transition to a low-carbon future, which aligns with our goal to become carbon neutral across our operations by 2050.”

Fully funded by a $232,000 contribution from Teck, the mobile charger stems from a community engagement session in 2019 that identified several innovative solutions for an electric mobility future in the East Kootenays region. It builds on previous, collaborative efforts to support EV adoption in the region including Accelerate Kootenays, an award-winning initiative of the three Kootenay Regional Districts where the Community Energy Association and Teck were implementation and funding partners.

Portable Electric is building the mobile charger, which will be able to charge multiple EVs simultaneously and be recharged in a number of innovative ways, including through an EV station or solar generation. When deployed across the region this summer, the charger will provide an opportunity to deepen engagement with the public on the future of low-carbon transportation. The charger will operate in the region year-round, providing the local communities with an opportunity to learn more about the applicability of battery and electric vehicle technology in the region—including its effectiveness in cold weather and in rural communities.

Megan Lohmann, Head of Community Energy Management, commented, “This is one of several prototypes that came out of the e-mobility visioning session in 2019, and we are pleased to advance it so quickly thanks to this collaboration. The East Kootenays are well-positioned to play a leadership role in the clean energy transition. We have unique regional strengths in our industrial and recreational sectors; leveraging those can put us at a competitive advantage for the low carbon future.”

Fast facts:
• The mobile charger will be the largest all-electric mobile battery and EV charger in Canada, in terms of battery capacity, with two Level 2, 7-kilowatt chargers capable of providing 75 km of range per hour (RPH) of charging to EVs.
• The charger will run on sustainable energy, with the capability to be recharged through an EV station, solar generation, or household power.
• It will be deployed in the East Kootenays this summer, in locations across the region for residents to interact with the technology, and will operate year-round.
• The mobile unit doesn’t produce any noise or harmful emissions and can be mounted on a trailer, placed in the back of a pickup truck, or mounted inside a van.
• The charger will further strengthen Teck’s sustainability efforts in Southeast B.C., which have included establishing a network of EV chargers in the Kootenays through the Accelerate Kootenays initiative and the recent purchase of the SunMine Solar Energy Facility, the first grid-connected solar facility in B.C. and the first built on a reclaimed mine site.

About Community Energy Association
Community Energy Association (CEA) is a member-based, non-profit organization working since 1995 at the community level to reduce emissions, conserve energy and progressively transition to a low carbon, resilient economy. As a non-profit society, all proceeds from our work go back to advancing community climate action solutions. As a trusted independent advisor to local governments, CEA facilitates coaching and education for individuals and institutions as well as researches, plans and implements climate solutions including electric vehicle charging networks. CEA’s 16 staff across B.C. have over 160 person years of experience helping communities in collaboration with utilities and the province to advance climate action. Learn more about CEA at www.communityenergy.ca or follow @bc_cea