British Columbia is leading the way in Canada for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and the provincial government is doing what it can to help, announcing a $26 million investment to install 250 new public fast chargers.
In 2022 zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) sales accounted for 18.1% of all new light-duty passenger vehicle sales in BC, the highest percentage for any province or territory in Canada. To support all those EV drivers, and more in the future, the province will install approximately 250 new “light-duty fast charging stations” across the province.
The exact locations of the chargers were not announced, or when the installations will be complete, but it was stated that some will be located in areas to complete the Electric Highway, a plan to have EV chargers in every corner of the province by 2030.
“Transportation accounts for about 40% of emissions in B.C., which is why we are committed to accelerating requirements for ZEVs and setting new standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. To support this uptake, we continue to expand B.C.’s electric vehicle charging network, with a target of having 10,000 public EV charging stations by 2030,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
The new stations will add to the province’s already expansive EV charging network, which is now one of the largest public charging networks in Canada. At the end of 2022 there were more than 3,800 charging stations, a significant increase from the 781 charging stations that were available in 2016.
