Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: A new report cites the need for rapid deployment of charging stations across the country, with both public and private involvement.
Canada needs 200,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to be installed and accessible to the public by 2030. That would translate to one charger for every 24 EVs expected to be on the road by then, a government report says.
The report recommends adding more than 183,000 chargers over the next eight years. Currently, there are 16,640 charging stations at nearly 7,000 locations across Canada.
The government has committed to funding 84,500 of the new charging stations and is seeking participation from the private sector for the rest.
It will cost $20 billion in public and private investment over the next three decades to build an adequate EV charging infrastructure, the report says. It calls for Canada to have between 442,000 and 469,000 publicly accessible EV charging stations by 2035 to meet the needs of the 12.4 million EVs expected to be operating across the country by then.
Transportation is responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, so the government is pushing motorists to switch to EVs in order to reach a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Canada wants 100% of all new vehicle purchases to be electric by 2035.
In 2016, Natural Resources Canada launched the Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative, which installs charging infrastructure along highway corridors. It provides funding to organizations to help establish a national network of EV fast chargers along core routes and highways. The new report says at least 585 sites will be needed, with at least two ports each, by 2030.
Utilities have shouldered the purchase and installation costs of a number of public charging infrastructure units in Canada’s existing network. Private investments also are increasing, with large companies such as General Motors, Petro-Canada, Hydro-Québec, and Flo developing charging infrastructure initiatives independent of government programs.
The ability to charge electric vehicles at home is also an important way to reach national emission reduction goals. The report calls on the Canadian government to continue supporting efforts to retrofit apartment and condominium buildings and to require that new multi-unit housing is built with EV charging available to residents.
Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation approved an EV infrastructure plan in 2022 that involves collaboration between government and the private sector. Wisconsin companies with expertise in the field may find opportunities to participate in Canada’s efforts as well.
