A new provincial funding incentive will help British Columbia communities, businesses and other organizations host electric vehicle charging stations in strategic locations across the province for use by members of the public or by fleets.

The incentive will defray 75 per cent of the cost of purchasing and installing level 2 (240 volt) charging stations, to a maximum of $4,000 per station, according to a recent press release from the Fraser Basin Council, a nonprofit organization devoted to advancing sustainability. Any organization interested in hosting a public charging station should act soon - there is a June 27 early bird application deadline, and all stations approved for funding must be installed by March 31, 2013.

A second funding incentive is available to help B.C. communities plan and identify priority locations for stations, with a June 27 deadline.

Both incentives are offered through the $2.7 million Community Charging Infrastructure Fund, announced by the Province of B.C. on April 3. The purpose of the fund is to support a network of up to 570 charging stations province-wide.

Details on the two incentives, and how to apply, are available at www.pluginbc. ca.

"The first plug-in electric vehicles are now rolling out on B.C.'s roads," stated Fraser Basin Council senior program manager Jim Vanderwal in the release. "Drivers usually do their daily commutes by charging up at home overnight, but having public charging stations in strategic spots will make extended travel easier. Drivers can simply park, plug in, and top up a battery charge within a few hours."

It is expected that publicly accessible stations will be hosted in such places as commercial parking lots, street parking spots, office buildings, grocery stores, shopping centres, restaurants, hotels and motels, recreational centres, movie theatres, golf courses, tourist attractions, parks, schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, campgrounds, ferry terminals, transit parking lots and airports.

"When it comes to electric vehicles, B.C. is unique because 93 per cent of electricity generated here is clean energy," said Vanderwal. "That makes electric vehicles a good choice for people who want drive with few or no emissions, and be less dependent on gasoline." The Community Charging Infrastructure Fund is overseen by the B.C. Ministry of Environment and B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines, and administered by the Fraser Basin Council. The fund is part of "Plug in B.C.," an initiative of the province, in collaboration with BC Hydro and others, to help lay the groundwork for plug-in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.