Electric Mobility Canada (EMC) is thrilled to hear today’s long-awaited announcement from Natural Resources Canada regarding the launch of new round of ZEVIP request for proposals (RFP). The deadline to apply for charging infrastructure funding is September 19, 2024.  The RFP will support the deployment of EV chargers, including fast chargers, in public places across Canada, as well as chargers at private locations, including multi-unit residential buildings, workplaces and where on-road vehicle fleets are serviced. This initiative aligns perfectly with EMC’s vision of a sustainable future; EMC agrees that more charging stations are needed to meet the increasing demand from EV users. Meeting Canada’s future EV charging needs does require public funding as well as private investments from the automotive industry. 

Additionally, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors’ complementary report Updated forecasts of vehicle charging needs, grid impacts and costs for all vehicle segments was released alongside the federal government’s ZEVIP announcement. This detailed report outlines a baseline scenario that calls for a need of 234,500 public charging ports (22,000 DCFC + 212,500 L2 chargers) by 2030. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the EV industry (i.e. battery and charging technology, charging business models, etc.), EMC believes that it is premature to include projections past 2030. The funding required to deploy this number of charging ports, according to the report, is $14.7 billion in cumulative capital investments for light-duty charging infrastructure for 2030. With 5,252 DCFC fast charging ports, Canada is currently on its way to meeting the estimated need of 9,000 DCFC fast charging ports for 2025.  As for Level 2 charging ports, more investments will be needed by government and industry; infrastructure deployment cannot rely solely on government funding.  

According to EMC’s latest survey results, in the past year, 41% of EV/PHEV owners have used a fast public charging station at least 3-5 times, while 36% note using public L2 chargers 3-5 times in the last year.  This indicates that the majority of Canadian EV/PHEV owners are primarily charging their vehicles at home and not at public charging stations. The findings from this survey also revealed that 73% of EV/PHEV owners feel confident in Canada’s public charging infrastructure, which tells us that infrastructure maintenance is steadily improving. This recent ZEVIP update will only increase the reliability of charging networks. 

ZEVIP is in place to help fund industry investments as they deploy the charging infrastructure required to support Canada’s 2030 EV adoption targets, making electric vehicle ownership more convenient and accessible for everyone. This program will play a vital role in reducing range anxiety and encouraging even more Canadians to make the switch to electric vehicles. 

We look forward to collaborating with Natural Resources Canada to ensure the success of this initiative. Together, we can create a robust and reliable charging network that will support the continued growth of the electric vehicle market and contribute to a cleaner Canada.