12 March 2026

by Tom Hackney

In early March, the Victoria Chapter and IESVic (UVic’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems Victoria) held its hackathon design competition, as planned.

It was a big success. Twenty-eight UVic students in six teams spent a day competing to make the best design concept for a stand-alone, off-grid e-bike charging station that can be deployed at UVic or in any public space.

Public e-bike charging stations are common in Europe, but they are scarce in North America, and there are few, if any, in the Capital Regional District. As the clean energy transition proceeds and e-bikes become more widely used, it will become more important to provide e-bikers with away-from-home charging facilities.

BCSEA and IESVic want to see that need addressed quickly; hence the hackathon. A successful design concept could be developed into a prototype, which could then spark interest in developing a deployment plan for the region.

The hackathon created a space for the students to apply their skills and creativity while connecting with local leaders in the sustainable energy sector. 

 Students remained highly engaged throughout the day and produced thoughtful, technically credible solutions. The success of the event highlights the value of collaboration between student organizations and industry partners in advancing clean energy ideas while providing meaningful opportunities for students to apply their knowledge to practical challenges.

Also attending the hackathon design competition:

• Brian Douglas, Vice Chair, BCSEA Board of Directors
• Alan Kneisz, Project Lead, and Steering Committee Member for BCSEA Victoria Chapter
• Erik Minty, Steering Committee Treasurer for BCSEA Victoria Chapter
• Nathan  Archibald, Project Lead, and Steering Committee Member for BCSEA Victoria Chapter
• Pauline Shepherd,  Administrative Assistant for IESVIC (Institute for Integrated Energy Systems – UVic)
• Chiradeep Majumdar,  PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering, IESVIC
• Anna Kobb – Community Partnerships Officer, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, UVic
• Phil Cui, EV Infrastructure Co-ordinator, City of Victoria
• Adam Webb, Sales Specialist, BeSolar

Stay tuned for further developments