Unexpected charge irks electric-vehicle owner

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This article was published 03/01/2025 (338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipegger says he will no longer use city-operated electric-vehicle charging ports now that he knows there is a steep cost.

Jeff Mansfield was met with a sticker shock when he went to charge his hybrid Ford Escape SUV at the Bill and Helen Norrie Library on Thursday.

As Mansfield plugged in and connected to the required app on his phone, he was surprised to see the chargers came with a price for use, and that the rates are quite high.

“I did some number crunching and found out that their rates are double what it would cost me to have a gasoline engine,” he said.

Mansfield calculated that to charge his SUV would cost $9.75 to travel about 50 kilometres, compared with $4.11 in gasoline for the same distance.

His SUV takes about 4.5 hours for a full charge. If he had access to a Level 1 charger in his high-rise building, it would cost $1.42 to get 50 km worth of energy.

City spokesperson David Driedger said the city introduced a fee for charging on Dec. 1, 2024. The city-operated Level 2 chargers — at the Norrie library, Seven Oaks Pool, Kildonan Park and St. Vital Park — were introduced in 2022 as part of a pilot project within the city’s climate-action plan.

Driedger said a notice was displayed on the charging stations to advise customers of the change in the lead-up to Dec. 1.

Mansfield said he saw no such notice. He had been using chargers at the Outlet Collection Winnipeg mall over the last month or so as he uses the indoor space to walk laps in.

Drivers who use the city chargers must pay $1.50 per hour for the first 2.5 hours, and $3 an hour thereafter.

Mansfield said he’s disheartened because he chose his electric vehicle for environmental and convenience reasons and was always under the impression charging a vehicle was cheaper than paying for gas.

The retired government of Saskatchewan employee said if he knew the city would charge that much to charge, he would have thought longer about buying a hybrid vehicle.

“If I could charge it occasionally for free and pay for the other times, I was happy with that. But to find out that it’s costing me almost double, I thought that was kind of a little disappointing,” Mansfield said.

His SUV can only use Level 1 or Level 2 charging stations. Only some types of charging stations are compatible with hybrid vehicles, while others only work for fully electric vehicles.

The Norrie library is the closest charger to Mansfield’s condo building.

Driedger said the free pilot project was launched to gather insights on usage and observe user behaviour. The pilot found that while most drivers charged their vehicles for an average of two hours, some parked at the chargers for the entire day.

The city then adopted a pricing model designed to “encourage turnover while ensuring the operating and electricity expenses are balanced” to make the chargers cost-neutral, Driedger said.

Dany Robidoux, general manager of Eco-West Canada, said it makes sense for the city to begin charging for the ports. Installing a station costs $11,000 to $18,000, and there are ongoing operating costs.

Eco-West Canada provided the city funding for the charging stations through the federal government’s zero-emission vehicle infrastructure program.

Robidoux said the more people use them, the less they will eventually cost.

“I think pretty traditional economics will likely kick in. Increased demand will lower the price to use, and we’re going to see probably a larger variety of vehicles than we’re already seeing compared to what it’s been in the past, which will also help in the long run,” he said.

Mansfield said he won’t go back for those prices.

“It’s disappointing to know the city isn’t interested in supporting electric vehicles,” he said.

Mansfield said he will look at having a Level 1 charger installed into his building’s parking garage, which could come at a high cost.

He is also lamenting the loss of routine he had when charging his SUV at the library. He used the library’s services and would take walks to nearby parks or around the neighbourhood.

“I support city services, and now that’s going to look much different,” Mansfield said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca