The Government of Canada has announced the deployment of over 6,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the country. This will be supported by a total investment of over CAD $45 million (£29 million/$35 million/€34 million).
This is great news for electric vehicle drivers in the country and will help to speed up the transition to zero-emissions motoring. It also shows the Government of Canada are taking the journey to cleaner travel and net-zero seriously.
The CAD $45 million investment will include over $16 million to install nearly 2,000 EV chargers across the country while raising public awareness about zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and advancing green transportation initiatives.
It will also be used across 10 specific areas in the country’s provinces and territories. For example, a total of $4.6 million will be invested in Hydro-Québec, the public utility, to help support the installation of up to 840 EV chargers across Quebec.
Plus, $2 million will be awarded to the Government of Prince Edward Island’s Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate Action to support the installation of up to 250 EV chargers on the island. A further $765,000 will go to Peak Power Inc. to install 117 EV grid-smart chargers across Ontario, across mixed-use developments.
An investment of $560,000 will go to Eco-West Canada to install up to 100 EV chargers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in public places, on-street, in multi-family buildings and workplaces or for light-duty vehicle fleets.
The Government of Northwest Territories will receive $414,000 to help support the installation of up to 72 EV chargers across the Northwest Territories, while $350,000 will be used by the New Brunswick Power Corporation to install in workplaces 52 EV chargers across New Brunswick. Finally, $55,000 will be invested in Southwest Properties Limited to install 20 EV chargers in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Supporting EV Development and Deployment
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Minister François-Philippe Champagne in announcing Umicore’s plans to invest $1.5 billion in Canada. This is to establish an electric vehicle battery component production net-zero facility, in Loyalist Township, Ontario.
This project will create a thousand jobs during construction and hundreds of long-term positions once the plant is up and running. Made-in-Canada battery materials are an essential part of ensuring North American energy and mineral security while creating jobs, supporting Canada’s auto and manufacturing sector, and keeping the air clean.
To help businesses and communities make the switch to zero-emissions transportation, the Government of Canada announced the new iMHZEV Program. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles contribute to nearly 10 percent of Canada’s emissions. The Government of Canada is providing nearly $550 million over four years to support eligible recipients in purchasing or leasing medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).
This program builds on the success of the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program, which has already helped Canadians purchase or lease over 141,000 new light-duty zero-emission vehicles since 2019.
Budget 2022 invested in ZEV deployment, including providing an additional $1.7 billion, to extend the government’s purchase incentive program until March 2025. This will also expand the types of vehicle models eligible under the program, which would include more vans, trucks and SUVs, in support of the government’s objective of adding 50,000 zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) chargers to Canada’s network.
Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said: “The transportation sector is Canada’s second-biggest source of emissions fuelling climate change, and one of the fastest growing.
“Zero-emission passenger vehicles are road-ready technology, and more and more Canadians want to buy them. EVs will make our air cleaner while offering Canadian households big savings on fuel and maintenance. It’s the smart consumer choice for a cleaner environment.”
Decarbonising Transit and School Buses
The Government of Canada announced a $253,000 investment to support the transition to low-emission transit for the cities of Brampton and Burlington. This is in partnership with the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium, through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund.
Funding was also announced to support the electrification of public transit in St. Catharines and Thorold, Ontario, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent while enhancing air quality. Projects such as these are helping to build stronger, healthier communities for everyone.
As part of the transition to net-zero by 2050, Infrastructure Canada and the Canada Infrastructure Bank are supporting the decarbonisation of public transit and school buses.
The Government of Canada is on track to surpass the 2019 commitment of supporting the acquisition of over 5,000 zero-emissions buses. This included nearly 4,000 school buses in B.C., Quebec and Prince Edward Island and over 1,200 public transit buses in 10 cities from coast to coast. These electric and hydrogen fuel-cell buses will be deployed on the road over approximately the next five years.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, said: “Our government is making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play. Investing in more EV chargers across the country will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals.”
These investments are yet another step in reaching Canada’s target of ensuring that all new passenger vehicles sold in Canada are zero-emission by 2035. And just like investments in everything from clean technology to nature protection, these announcements are part of achieving Canada’s ambitious climate change goals to build a cleaner, healthier and affordable future.
Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, said: “The future of our transportation sector is green. We’re making it easier for Canadians to move toward this goal. As we build a network of EV chargers from coast to coast to coast and make the switch to an electric vehicle more affordable across the country, we’re moving closer to making a net-zero future a reality.”
