Town council has given the green light on plans to install an EV charger in downtown Sackville, in the parking lot between Goya’s Pizza and the Post Office. Three motions authorizing staff to seek funding, purchase a charger, and have electrical infrastructure installed passed on Tuesday night, with three councillors voting against all three motions.
The project involves hiring local company Tantramar Electric to install infrastructure downtown that can accommodate a number of chargers, and the purchase of a level 3 Flo Charger to operate as part of NP Power’s E-charge network. Unlike the free level 2 charger at the Sackville Visitor Information Centre, people using the new charger would pay for their electricity via a smartphone app or e-charge account.
Climate Change coordinator Kirsty Mrazek told council last week that advantages to the e-charge network includes access to advertising, customer service, and a payment management system. The Flo is a fast charger, which means people will be able to get a significant “fill up” in about 30 minutes.
Mrazek told council the project would encourage EV drivers to stop in Sackville while on longer drives, bringing them close to “downtown amenities such as restaurants, stores, parking lots, or public washrooms and parks.” A fast charger would also serve local EV drivers, said Mrazek, “especially those living in multi unit residential buildings who are looking to drive an EV but do not have access currently to overnight charging infrastructure.”
There’s already $108,000 approved in this year’s capital budget to install a downtown EV charger, but Mrazek is also hoping to get some outside funding on board, which would reduce the town of Sackville’s contribution to about $54,000.
Mrazek told council she’s already received verbal confirmation that Sackville is eligible for an NB Power rebate of up to $50,000, and with council’s approval Tuesday, she will proceed to apply for another $54,000 from New Brunswick’s Regional Development Corporation Community Development Fund. That would bring the project costs for the town down to just half of what’s budgeted.
The Flo charger itself costs about $58,000, but the bigger expense lies in the electrical infrastructure to accommodate it. That will cost just shy of $100,000, but the new set-up will be able to host additional chargers in the future, as well as an outdoor event power source.
Councillors didn’t engage in much of a debate last week on the EV charger project, though Councillor Bill Evans weighed in with positive comments, and noted that one of the reasons Sackville’s first EV charger was located at the Visitor Information Centre was because the electrical infrastructure required was not as costly there.
Without commenting during Tuesday’s meeting about why, Councillors Ken Hicks, Bruce Phinney and Matt Estabrooks opposed motions to pursue the EV charger project. Hicks told CHMA after the meeting that he didn’t believe municipalities should be involved in providing electricity to vehicles. “If Irving or Ultramar or even the Coastal Inn, if they wanted to do something like that… I think that makes more sense than the municipality providing that option,” said Hicks.
Councillor Phinney said he felt the timing wasn’t right for the project. “I don’t think we’re right ready for it yet,” said Phinney after Tuesday’s meeting. “Do I believe that we do need one? Yes, in time. [But] we have a charger already in town. Plus, there’s a great number of chargers over in Aulac right at the present time.” Phinney also said his conversations with staff in Shediac led him to believe the charger there was not often used.
Councillor Matt Estabrooks told CHMA via email that he is concerned about early adoption of a technology that might be outdated in “three years or less”. He also questioned the spending of public money “to supply an NB Power business initiative with free infrastructure.”
