Bay Roberts installs electric vehicle charging station
The front of the Bay Arena in Bay Roberts looks a bit different nowadays, and if you don’t look closely enough, you might miss it — tucked behind a steel guardrail at the front of the building is the town’s first publicly available electric vehicle charging station.
It is believed to be the first such publicly available charging station in Conception Bay North. The device was made operational on Monday.
“It was something that was lacking in Conception Bay North and it just made sense,” said Coun. Dean Franey.
The installation of the Level II charging station is something that has been planned in Bay Roberts since 2019.
At the time, Franey brought the idea up and the town budgeted $2,000 for the installation.
With it, Bay Roberts joins several other towns with publicly available charging stations. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is also installing a network of stations on the Trans-canada Highway from St. John’s to Port aux Basques.
“That is the way things are moving … it is the way to go,” said Franey.
As Bay Roberts was researching the benefits of installing a charging station, Franey asked Drive Electric NL to make a presentation to council.
Drive Electric NL works to educate people on the benefits of electric vehicles and how groups can get involved.
Co-founder Jon Seary sees the Bay Roberts installation as a big step for the community.
“It is certainly a significant move,” said Seary.
The new charging station in Bay Roberts is a welcome sign for users of electric vehicles, Seary said.
Motorists in St. John’s or elsewhere now have a place they can charge their vehicles should they decide to explore the region.
While they’re charging, Seary said, visitors will have the time to search for restaurants, retail outlets, tourist attractions and accommodations.
“They can park there, topup and explore. That was not possible until now,” he said.
For Bay Roberts, it is another service that could attract people as the tourism season starts.
“It is another reason to get people into town,” said Franey.