First Generation DCFC Project
Early Technical and Project Management Learnings
The Squamish Liquor Store sits right off the Sea to Sky highway off Highway 99 which is a key travel midpoint between Vancouver and Whistler BC. The owners were interested in installing a DCFC (level 3) charging station in 2019.
LeadingAhead Energy (LAE) was selected to provide a turn-key charging infrastructure solution to Squamish Liquor Store which desired to install Level 3 charging units on the property. LAE managed the whole project from government rebate applications, hardware/network recommendations, new utility services, procurement, project management, installation, and maintenance. Carbon credit (LCFS) management has also been added as an ongoing service since the provincial implementation of EV charging into the LCFS program in 2022.
Projective Objective
Attract Customers Along Major Highway
The project objective was to create additional traffic to the store while meeting local municipal regulations and become one of the first no-utility-operated DCFC projects in British Columbia.
Challenges
There was limited knowledge about EV charging in 2019. Even today with the amount of market information overload, it is easy to get confused with the EV charging deployment process and a number of offerings.
Process
LeadingAhead Energy has provided the knowledge and experience to successfully implement the DC Fast charging site using a future-proof approach.
Results
The project has been completed ahead of time with many added features that were not involved in the DCFC projects at the time. The site has been featured in many industry media and by BC Hydro as a model to follow for handicap access site design as well as its Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) network/hardware integration.
Project Insights
LAE has been at the forefront of the electrification of transportation and this project is one example amongst many showcasing the innovation progress towards better user charging experience and future-proofing to avoid rebuilding a site or being tied to one vendor in a proprietary network solution.
“LAE was responsible for the success of the NRCAN grant through the Zero Emission Infrastructure Program. The company’s commitment and work ethic managed to save us a great sum of money via this available grant on our project and has been in smooth operation for years.”