Francis Chua, Department Manager, Environment & Sustainability, Bruce Power (left) and Phil Eagleson, Fire Chief, Saugeen Shores.

Bruce Power, Plug’n Drive, Baywest Nissan and the Town of Saugeen Shores have officially opened Southampton’s Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station.

Bruce Power and Plug’n Drive are currently partnering with businesses, municipalities and environmental and educational organizations to increase the EV charging station infrastructure in rural Ontario, said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s President and CEO.

“We believe that adding more public charging stations will translate into more electric vehicles,” Rencheck said. “As we improve EV charging station infrastructure, we will improve consumer confidence in the viability of electric vehicles while reducing carbon emissions from our transportation sector.”

Saugeen Shores Mayor Mike Smith said the Southampton EV charging station is a perfect addition to the quaint downtown core, which experiences a large influx of visitors each summer.

“If we’re going to continue reducing carbon emissions from our transportation sector we need to make charging stations readily available to drivers in as many locations as possible, so they have confidence when heading out on the highway,” said Smith. “We’re hopeful that by adding EV charging stations in our municipality our visitors will feel comfortable knowing they can plug in their electric vehicles when visiting our beautiful downtowns and beaches.”