PUC launching home rental program for electric vehicle chargers

PUC Services Inc. is preparing to announce a program to help owners of electric vehicles install and maintain charging stations at their residences.

"We are launching a residential rental program to try to help people who buy electric vehicles to get over the hurdles, that they can charge at home," says Rob Brewer, PUC's president and chief executive officer.

"A $2,000, $3,000 or $4,000 cost, in addition to buying a car, can be prohibitive," Brewer says.

The program is expected to be announced next week.

"If we can get in and help people to get over that hurdle, we can get more people to adopt electric vehicles, which is good for all of us," Brewer disclosed during a presentation to city councillors this week.

"You'll see a residential program and a small commercial program being launched next week."

For its own fleet, PUC is planning to install 22 electric vehicle charging stations at PUC facilities.

"This change of going electric will not only contribute further to the company’s goal of reducing its own carbon footprint, but it will lead to an even bigger impact on the community overall," the utility said in its just-released sustainability report.

PUC introduced a plan last year to gradually replace its existing fleet of internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles.

In his presentation, Brewer stressed that at least 20 per cent of all passenger vehicles sold in Canada are expected to be zero-emission vehicles by 2026, at least 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035.