FortisBC is changing the way it charges for charges.
FortisBC owns 42 fast charging stations at 22 sites in B.C. Currently, electric vehicle customers using the FortisBC charging stations are charged by the minute for the power they use.
Starting August 1, they will be charged by the amount of electricity they use, not by how much time it takes.
Currently, customers pay $0.26 per minute for power at 50-kilowatt (KW) charging stations and $0.54 per minute at 100-KW stations.
The BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) has approved FortisBC’s new energy-based rate system, which will charge users $0.39 per kilowatt hour (KWh).
Some EV owners will end up paying slightly less under the new energy-based charging formula, while others may pay slightly more.
Generally, owners of EVs that take longer to charge will end up paying slightly less under the new energy-based formula, while those that charge faster may pay slightly more.
“Using energy-based rates ensures that all drivers pay the same rate for the electricity they use regardless of charging speed," George Thompson, FortisBC’s EV infrastructure and investment manager, said in a news release.
The BCUC also approved a surcharge that FortisBC will be able to charge for EV owners who dwell too long at EV charging stations after their cars have charged.
FortisBC has not yet determined if or when that dwell charge will be implemented, but if it is, those who spend more than five minutes at a charging station after their cars have charged would be charged an additional $0.40 per minute.
