When Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club asked First District Mechanical Group to provide the infrastructure for its new electric vehicle charging stations, it sparked a lasting connection between the electrical contractor and Hypercharge.
The Backstory
The Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club in Coquitlam, British Columbia, is nestled on the slopes of Eagle Mountain, where members and guests enjoy lush forest scenery and panoramic views. When the club decided to install electric vehicle charging stations, Hypercharge was its choice to supply top-performing hardware and software. Next, it needed an electrical contractor to take care of the underlying infrastructure that would connect the EV chargers to a power source. Westwood Plateau’s general manager already knew the company for the job: First District Electrical, a division of First District Mechanical Group, which the club had worked with previously and knew to be proactive and reliable.
As it happens, First District had been investigating how EV charging installation could be improved, says Sean Hamilton, the company’s owner and president, by speaking with customers and EV charging companies about their experiences. “What are your struggles, what are your obstacles?” he recalls asking. “What’s working, what’s not? The goal was to come up with a solution for the end user, the customer, that is as seamless as possible.”
After joining the Westwood Plateau project, Hamilton quickly discovered that Hypercharge shares First District’s deeply engaged, customer-first approach. “The reason our relationship with Hypercharge is so strong is that they value a lot of the things that we value,” he says. “They value the relationship with the customer. They value prompt, proactive communication.”
“You look at the property and say, okay, is that the best place for a charger—because you have one or two patrons parking there who have EVs? Or is it front and centre of your building, where you can showcase that you’re sustainable? What if you want to add more chargers later?”
Sean Hamilton, Owner and President, First District Mechanical Group
Assessing the Options
An electrical contractor works with its customer to identify potential locations for a charging operation, determine whether electrical upgrades will be necessary, secure permits, and perform the electrical installation. Westwood Plateau had an idea of where it wanted to place the charging stations, which was based on where EV owners tended to park and an expectation that two chargers would be installed. After assessing the options, First District Electrical suggested another location that would allow the club to add more chargers in the future—a forward-looking approach advocated by Hypercharge.
Another consideration was the charging level that the infrastructure needed to support. “If you look at, say, a highway rest stop, people are there for 30 to 45 minutes max,” Hamilton says, “they don’t want to have a slow charge, they want the vehicle charged quickly. It takes more juice, more electrical capacity. Usually you’re upgrading services for that.”
Golfers, on the other hand, tend to spend several hours on site. “They don’t need a rapid charge,” Hamilton says, “so we don’t need to put in a Level 3 charger. We could put in some Level 2s, which means they could plug four or five vehicles in.”
“Our electrical and mechanical divisions are always engaging with Hypercharge. There’s tons of dialogue between the parties throughout the process to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Sean Hamilton, Owner and President, First District Mechanical Group
The Installation
Installing EV charging stations often requires digging trenches to lay conduits between the chargers and the power supply. For a golf and country club with pristine grounds and beautiful natural surroundings, minimal disruption to the landscape was of supreme importance. First District’s solution was to swap a traditional excavator for a hydro-vac. “Basically, it’s a big vacuum that can take up rocks and dirt,” Hamilton says. “We go underneath the root system, so we don’t harm the bushes, any of the plants. Westwood Plateau was able to keep all of their vegetation there.”
As work got under way, communication between Hypercharge and First District levelled up. “We were taking daily pictures, daily video, sending it over to them,” Hamilton says. “We know that we can go to Hypercharge and ask questions throughout the whole process. They’re all right on it, and it’s fantastic.”
The installation went smoothly—and swiftly. “I think from breaking ground to getting the chargers operational, it was two to three weeks,” Hamilton says. “It was fast.”
Westwood Plateau’s charging operation went live at the end of March, 2022. Based on advice from First District and Hypercharge, the club opted for four ports on two JuiceBar Gen 3 dual-port Level 2 chargers. Hypercharge custom-wrapped the chargers to display the club’s logo, and the lean profile of the stations balances the need for visibility with integration into the picturesque scenery.
Next Steps
First District and Hypercharge have since collaborated on multiple projects, and the two companies have invested time in learning more about each other’s operations and goals for the future. “We went to their facility in Vancouver,” Hamilton says. “They told us about the inner workings of their business. We discussed ours as well, and realized there was a big synergy between the two organizations.”
He adds, ”When we have a company like Hypercharge say, ‘Come into our office. We’re going to show you how we do things’—that’s them putting time and money into developing our team. That is a big deal for me as a business owner.”
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