Staff and patients now have the option to plug-in their electric vehicles (EV), as Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) rolls out the largest installation of EV charging stations in the province at Richmond Hospital. As part of our commitment to reducing our emissions and supporting projects that provide environmental health benefits to our staff and our communities, the project will see a total of 30 electric vehicle charging stations installed in the Richmond Hospital parkade. The installation will be rolled-out in phases starting April 21 with six EV stalls and increasing capacity based on feedback and demand.
This past year has put a big focus on our overall health as a community and the steps we can take to minimize health impacts,” says Ashok Mishra, Director, Richmond Hospital Redevelopment. “Supporting the growth of electric vehicles in B.C. is one way we can do that. By making it easier for our staff and our patients to choose EVs, we also help them reduce their carbon emissions —making our air cleaner for all of us.”
According to a 2020 VCH survey, 40% of staff plan to own an electric vehicle. The BC provincial government also passed legislation on May 30, 2019 that requires every new car sold in B.C. to be a zero-emission vehicle by 2040. Thanks to funding from the Carbon Neutral Capital Program (CNCP) and the Ministry of Health, the project, which aligns with the provincial CleanBC climate strategy, will help support our staff and our community to transition to more sustainable transportation methods, such as electric vehicles.
“By installing the EV chargers in our communities, we are enabling staff and our patients, to move away from vehicles that burn fossil fuels, and switch to electric vehicles, which in turn, will significantly reduce air pollution exposure and the associated population health impacts,” says VCH Energy and Emissions Manager Kori Jones.
One of the main drivers for this project is to reduce emissions from our staff and patient transportation, and to reduce traffic-related air pollution exposure in our communities. The VCH Public Health team has identified that traffic-related air pollution is linked to asthma, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, in addition to a range of other pregnancy, development and mental health outcomes. This is an emissions reduction project with a clear preventative health outcome.
To prevent the future health impacts expected from climate change we need to quickly and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Electrifying light-duty on-road transportation is one of the faster regional transitions we can achieve with significant impact.
This project has had a positive response and has initiated an EV site assessment across VCH’s main health campuses to support a regional Active and Clean Transportation Strategy. In addition to focusing on clean transportation options, through low-carbon electrification, VCH promotes other means of environmentally friendly and healthy active transportation options that are continually being addressed, including cycling infrastructure, carpooling coordination and public transport options.
The EV charging stations will be available for staff, medical staff and patients with electric vehicles.
How to use the charging stations?
We encourage everyone using the EV charging stations to follow the EV charging station etiquette to ensure everyone can benefit from the project:
Take only what you need. Once you’ve powered up, please move your vehicle to a non-EV charging station stall.
Don’t park in an EV charging stall if you don’t need a charge. Only use the EV charging stalls when you really need a charge in order to get to your next destination.
Put the cord away when you’re finished. Help us keep the station neat and tidy.
Don’t unplug others. If there are no stations available, check the PlugShare website for the closest available station.
If you’re not charging, don’t block the charger. Only EVs in need of a charge are permitted in the designated parking stalls.
