Surrey, BC first CHAdeMO DC charger in BC party, June 28

[TonyWilliams]

Powertech Labs Inc., a Subsidiary of BCHydro, will host a Prequel Event to the BC2BC "All Electric Vehicle Rally", in addition to the Grand Opening of their new charging plaza and Tech Park. Located just 18 miles north of the BC2BC rally launch point at the Peace Arch State Park in Blaine, Washington, USA, the Prequel Event will commence at 11:30am on Friday, June 28, 2013 when Alec Tsang of BC Hydro will speak a few words about the Tech Park and its role in studying electric vehicle (EV) charging.

At 12:00am, Mayor Diane Watts will talk about the City of Surrey’s Sustainability Charter and how it pertains to EVs. At 12:30pm, a BBQ lunch is planned for about 100 people. I will be on hand to talk about electric cars and the upcoming rally that starts the following day, Saturday, June 29, 2013. The rally will start at the border of British Columbia (BC), Canada and the USA, and end at the border of Baja California (BC), Mexico and the USA nine days later, hence "BC2BC". About 12 all-electric vehicles will be participating along the West Coast Electric Highway.

Powertech is located at 12388 - 88th Avenue, Surrey, BC and now has four Level 2 - J1772 charging stations to recharge all modern day electric cars, in addition to the first public CHAdeMO DC Fast Charger in British Columbia. CHAdeMO can recharge cars like the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi iMiEV in about 30 minutes. Powertech is strategically located close to many businesses and services which may be useful to electric vehicle drivers while their car recharges, such as a nearby Walmart, tire and auto parts stores, shopping and dining.

Both rally vehicles and spectators to the rally launch event and concurrent International Golden Plug Ceremony will be able to use these charging stations on Friday and Saturday, June 28 and 29, 2013. The International Golden Plug Ceremony is an official celebration of the joining of the West Coast Electric Highway between Washington state and the province of British Columbia, scheduled between 11am and 1pm on Saturday, June 29, 2013, at the Peace Arch State Park in Blaine, Washington.


Powertech Labs Inc.
12388 - 88th Avenue, Surrey,
British Columbia, Canada, V3W 7R7

Phone: 604-590-6638
Web: Clean Energy Consulting | Engineering Consulting Services | Powertech

 

[TonyWilliams]

Please register here if you plan to attend the BC2BC launch party at the Peace Arch on Saturday, June 29. We need EV's and EV drivers!!! Print the ticket out and bring, because we'll use those to give away some bling!!!!

BC2BC All Electric Vehicle Rally International... Tickets, Blaine - Eventbrite

 

[Morristhecat]

This event is 5 minutes from my office. Barring any work related stuff, I hope to attend this event. I hear they have a Clipper Creek CS90 there too, that I have been interested in trying out. I'll see if somebody is around that can answer whether they intend to put a SAE plug on the chademo DC fast charge unit, as I think I read that is more compatible with Tesla and would be an easier adapter to make.

 

[Morristhecat]

I attended this event today and it was nice to meet a few fellow EV owners. There were several Leafs, several Model S's, a Roadster a Volt and a funny old 1920's car. In talking to the Powertech guys, they seem to be on the ball about standards for the DC fast chargers. They know what plug every manufacturer is supporting, and they hope to put SAE Combo plugs on the DC charger as soon as there are cars out there that can use it. For now they are only starting with a chademo plug. The guy I talked to confirmed that if Tesla puts out a SAE Combo adapter, that it should be compatible with these DC fast chargers when they add the Sae combo plug. They are made by Eaton by the way. I watched a leaf charge up and it was interesting that it was only putting in 50Amps. Also of note, these guys are about to install more of the Eaton DC chargers at Both Science World and in Squamish.

The powertech guys also told me that this place is strictly a test facility, so that is why they are only open during the restrictive business hours. They do encourage public use however so that they can judge how best to serve the rest of the province. They do monitor what kind of car comes and what kind of draw they use.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I was there later in the afternoon, passing a dark green Model S who was driving westbound. I'm claiming first Rav4 EV Gen II in western Canada.

Loved the 1912 Detroit Electric car.