Two different federal infrastructure programs have provided funding for more than 43,000 electric vehicle chargers since 2016. However, new data reveals that fewer than one in five of these chargers are actually operational. This information was provided by Natural Resources Canada. Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson recently visited Quebec City to announce an additional $25 million in funding for 1,500 EV chargers in Quebec. This announcement is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to build 84,500 chargers by 2029.
Natural Resources Canada initially launched a program in 2016 to fund the installation of public fast EV chargers, natural gas stations, and hydrogen refueling centers. Three years later, a second program was introduced to include additional types of chargers. According to data from the department, a total of 43,046 chargers have been funded through both programs, but only 7,644 are currently operational.
The first program, which ended in 2020, provided funding for 1,096 EV chargers. However, almost 20 percent of these chargers are still not operational. The program also funded 22 natural gas stations and 15 hydrogen stations, of which about 40 percent have yet to begin working. The second program, with a $280 million five-year investment, was launched in 2019 to install 33,500 electric vehicle chargers by 2025. It was later expanded until 2027 with an additional $400 million in funding. As of August 21, 42,007 chargers have been “selected for funding” through this program, with 6,697 of them operational.
In total, Natural Resources Canada’s database lists 23,000 operational public charging ports in approximately 9,800 locations across the country, including those funded through federal programs and privately funded ones. It’s important to note that public funds only cover up to half the cost of the equipment and installation.
The recent announcement includes funding for various entities such as Hydro-Québec, Les Petroles, Bell Canada, and the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. An analysis conducted by the research firm Dunsky Energy and Climate for the federal government suggests that Canada will likely need 52,000 chargers in place by the end of 2025 and around 200,000 by 2030 to meet the national sales targets for electric vehicles.
Furthermore, a report by Electric Autonomy Canada on August 25 revealed that electric vehicle sales reached nearly 11 percent of the total market share nationally in the spring, marking the highest proportion ever recorded.