The utility provider’s skid-mounted portable charger offers a charging solution for remote regions and during emergency situations

BC Hydro is testing a new type of electric vehicle fast charger that promises to streamline installations, extend charging access to remote locations and provide critical support in emergencies.

The utility has unveiled its first fully portable DC fast charger in the Village of Lumby, east of Vernon. Mounted on a skid, the charging system features a 180-kilowatt ABB charger alongside a 100-kW FLO EV Charging unit for added capacity. The entire setup can be transported on a flatbed truck and placed on site with a crane.

Kyle Donaldson, a spokesperson for BC Hydro, tells Electric Autonomy in an interview that the company was looking for a new solution to speed up charger installations, which can take months across the province.

“[Portable chargers] avoids having to go through dealing with permitting issues and the kind of things you would with a typical construction project,” says Donaldson.

Instead of digging trenches to run underground wiring, all the cabling for the portable charger can be connected overhead to a nearby power pole. With most site work eliminated, a portable charger can be up and running in a matter of weeks or days, says Donaldson.

Remote and emergency applications

Part of the rationale for the portable charger is to make it easier for communities – especially those more remote – to access EV charging. For northern communities with short building seasons or limited access to construction crews, the system offers the ability to unload a full charging setup and connect to existing power, says Donaldson.

Donaldson also notes the portable site can assist in emergency situations, including wildfire and flood evacuations.

The Village of Lumby, like most of B.C’s interior, is vulnerable to wildfires in summer and flooding in spring. These conditions make it an ideal test centre for the portable charging technology because the charger can be deployed quickly for an emergency and relocated when needed.

“When it comes to the Lumby location, we’re evaluating how this is going to go,” says Donaldson. “It’s our first one, if it is a useful tool and something that would potentially be good down the road, we’re prepared to add more of these sites to our growing network.”

Weighing the pros and cons

BC Hydro’s portable system is the first of its kind among the utility’s nearly 730 fast-charging ports at 163 sites across the province.

However, it is not the first time a skid-mounted charger has been deployed in North America for portability, says John Stahlbusch, e-mobility vice president of North American fleet and public charging for ABB, which partnered with BC Hydro on the project.

Stahlbusch says he has seen portable chargers deployed in California before.  In his view, there are both advantages and trade-offs to a portable system.

“You want to have permanent infrastructure where you can, so choosing good sites is important because it makes sense for them to be there long term,” he says.

There are, however, occasions where, due to limited time, site restrictions or weather constraints make portable chargers a practical alternative to typical charging infrastructure.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s going to deliver a major cost-savings advantage, because the skid itself generally offsets what you save by not having to trench. But in other scenarios, it can certainly be a benefit,” says Stahlbusch. “We’ve seen them deployed in floodplain [areas] and in emergency situations. We’ve also seen cases where there’s only a limited operating season, and the team can have it set up on site within just a few days.”