The City of Maple Ridge, B.C., is installing new electric vehicle (EV) chargers to support the transition of its municipal fleet to cleaner vehicles, backed by federal funding.
The $390,000 investment from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program will fund the installation of 42 EV charging stations for the city’s fleet, helping reduce fuel and maintenance costs while advancing Maple Ridge’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, according to a news release.
“Maple Ridge is proud to be recognized as a provincial leader in climate action, and projects like this are helping us move closer to achieving the goals set out in our Resilient Future 2050 plan,” said mayor Dan Ruimy in the release. “By expanding our EV charging network, we can continue transitioning our fleet to electric vehicles, lowering costs for taxpayers and reducing our community’s carbon footprint.”
Tim Hodgson, Canada’s minister of energy and natural resources, added that the new charging stations will both “save fuel costs and help fight climate change.”
Procurement for the chargers is underway, with installation planned at the city’s engineering operations yard on Dewdney Trunk Rd. by August 2026. The additional infrastructure will provide the city with the capacity needed to power its expanding electric and hybrid fleet, the release says, adding that each new EV replaces a gas-powered unit.
“Our shift to an electric and hybrid fleet is already paying off,” said Kirk McLeod, Maple Ridge’s manager of sewers, drainage, fleet and operations. “We’re seeing lower fuel bills, fewer maintenance issues and greater reliability.”
The announcement follows nearly $22.7 million in federal funding for eight projects across British Columbia aimed at improving EV charging availability.
