City gives electric car drivers a boost, adds 42 downtown charging stations

Electric vehicle owners will be able to get a charge for the price of a parking spot, thanks to the addition of 42 downtown charging stations.

The city announced Friday that three of its parkadeshave added the charging stations at no cost to the city, thanks to the Tesla Charging Infrastructure Municipal Grant.

Together with the six existing Level II charging stations that already exist in Calgary Parking Authority parkades, that means 48 charging stations are available for all plug-in electric vehicles, with both Tesla-specific or universal plugs.

The charging stalls are installed at the Convention Centre parkade, McDougall parkade and City Hall parkade.

"We're excited to offer this service to our customers driving downtown in electric vehicles," said Glen Furtado, general manager of the Calgary Parking Authority. "With dedicated parking stalls equipped with Level II charging stations, Calgarians can charge while they work."

Even better: People who use the charging stations only pay the regular parking rate.

The program is part of Calgary's Climate Resiliency Strategy, which determined that electric vehicles represent the single largest opportunity to reduce transportation-created greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, saidEric MacNaughton, senior transportation engineer with the City of Calgary.

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The additional charging stations are part of a concerted effort to improve charging network access for electric vehicle owners. This includes a recent initiative launched by the Peaks to Prairies EV Charging Network and a federal $5,000 rebate for people purchasing certain types of electric vehicles.

Further information about the parking authority's 48 electric charging stations, including locations, monthly contracts and frequently asked questions, is available atcalgaryparking.com/evcharging.