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Moving from coast to coast, Canadians are switching to electric cars (EVs), which dramatically lowers their annual gas bills. Approximately 320,000 new electric cars were registered nationwide in 2023 alone. In addition to improving public EV charging infrastructure and pushing the country toward a net-zero future via significant investments, research, and collaborations with diverse industries, the Government of Canada is aggressively promoting this transition. EVs are becoming more accessible and inexpensive.
Funding and Requests for Proposals
A new request for proposals (RFP) under the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) has been issued by the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, in order to further these projects. Using EV chargers, especially fast chargers, this RFP seeks to equip private spaces like multi-unit residential complexes and offices as well as public areas like public lots and roads. There is a deadline of September 19, 2024, for applications.
Building on the government’s current accomplishment of providing 84,500 EV chargers nationally, this financial program is expected to construct thousands of additional chargers across Canada. Programs like ZEVIP, the Charging and Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure Initiative of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), and several incentive credits promote these initiatives. About 20% of the over 30,000 public chargers that are now in use in Canada are made possible by federal funding, which will cause the number of EV chargers to expand by 70% between 2022 and 2023 and further installations to be scheduled annually.
Supporting Deployment Through Tools and Research
The National Public EV Charging Planning Map was created by the Canadian government to help stakeholders and investors choose the best places to put stations. This tool facilitates the placement of chargers along roads, highways, and in places that are most in demand of the general population.
Government’s Commitment to a Net-Zero Future
Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular in Canada, which lowers pollutants and lowers energy costs for consumers. The Canadian government is still dedicated to facilitating this shift and will make sure that by 2035, every new passenger car sold in the country will have zero emissions. Creating a Canadian-made electric vehicle supply chain that supports long-term, well-paying jobs for Canadian workers is one way to assist the country’s rollout of public charging stations.
Summary of Investments
Federal initiatives are greatly lowering adoption barriers for EVs and accelerating the expansion of Canada’s EV supply chain. The 10% investment tax credit for the Electric Vehicle Supply Chain and the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program (iZEV) are two important efforts. Since 2017, the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) has provided significant financing to facilitate the EV transition, which has also proven helpful.
The government has set up a sizeable sum of money to assist the installation of EV chargers around the country, and it is making large investments in both essential minerals and EV charging infrastructure. Updated information on how the EV market is changing is available in the 2024 EV Charging Needs Report. Recent efforts have resulted in substantial growth in EV charger deployment, with a notable increase in installations from 2022 to 2023. Budget 2023 makes a further commitment to help Canada’s sustainable energy industry, which includes updating the system to accommodate EV charging facilities.
By building a vast network of EV charging stations for Canadians, these significant investments are encouraging cooperation between the public and private sectors, industry, utilities, and government agencies to expedite the rollout.