Rock Creek adds 150-kW fast charger at Riverside Centre

George Thompson, FortisBC manager of EV infrastructure and investment, uses the utility’s new 150-kilowatt fast charger at Riverside Centre in Rock Creek. The dual-port charger joins three existing fast chargers at the site.

Photo courtesy FortisBC

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Electric vehicle drivers travelling through Rock Creek have a faster charging option after FortisBC added a new 150-kilowatt DC fast charger at the Rock Creek Visitor Centre at Riverside Centre.

The charger, announced Aug. 24, joins three existing fast chargers at the site. Regional District of Kootenay Boundary chair Grace McGregor described Riverside Centre as one of the most significant EV charging hubs in the Boundary.

“This is a welcome upgrade that will really benefit our region,” McGregor said in FortisBC’s announcement. “The Riverside Centre has become one of the most significant EV charging hubs in the Boundary, and this latest investment makes it even better.”

The new charger is a dual-port unit that can charge two vehicles at the same time. FortisBC says it is designed to serve light-duty electric vehicles as well as medium-duty EVs, including delivery trucks, large SUVs and panel vans.

Riverside Centre is located on Highway 3 in Rock Creek, near the southern end of Highway 33, which runs north through Westbridge and Beaverdell to Kelowna. The RDKB owns the centre, which is managed by the Trails to the Boundary Society and includes visitor information, community space, public internet access, office rentals and EV charging.

Charging infrastructure at Riverside Centre has expanded over several years. FortisBC says it partnered with the RDKB in 2026 to install the new 150-kW dual-port charger and also helped fund paving at the site in 2025.

McGregor said the latest installation builds on the three fast chargers already operating there.

“Adding an even faster charger to the three fast chargers already at this strategic location is a fantastic enhancement that will benefit all who pass through Rock Creek,” she said.

FortisBC has also been making accessibility improvements across its public charging network, including accessible stalls, paving and dusk-to-dawn lighting at many locations. At Riverside Centre, the utility says it helped fund paving work in 2025.

The Rock Creek charger was one of three higher-powered stations FortisBC announced Aug. 24. Two 180-kW chargers were also added in Kelowna, at Rutland Centennial Park and the Okanagan Heritage Museum.

FortisBC says its public fast-charging network now includes 45 DC fast chargers at 22 sites in 20 Southern Interior communities, connecting more than 1,000 kilometres of highway.

Phil Horacek, FortisBC’s director of low carbon transportation, said the utility is working to expand charging capacity as more drivers and commercial operators adopt electric vehicles.

“Our goal is to make sure EV drivers can travel with confidence across the Southern Interior region and that we can meet the growing needs of customers who are making lower-emission choices for transportation,” Horacek said.