
VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s electric highway will get a supercharge this year with $30 million from Budget 2024 to add more than 500 public charging stations to more than 5,000 already available across the province.
“Making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) means less pollution, cleaner and healthy communities, and savings on fuel costs. We know that British Columbians want to have confidence they will be able to charge up easily when travelling across the province,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “That’s why we are working with BC Hydro and other partners to expand B.C.’s public charging infrastructure and build an economy powered by clean, affordable electricity.”
In order to ensure that every community in B.C. has access to a fast-charging station, the CleanBC Go Electric Public Charger Program is prioritizing applications for projects that fill geographic gaps in B.C.’s charging network, that are located in rural, northern and First Nation communities, or that are located in urban areas with high EV uptake. The program will also prioritize applications for locations highly accessible to the public, including community and recreation centres, libraries, highway rest stops and park-and-ride stations.
“Transportation accounts for 40 per cent of B.C.’s emissions. That’s why it’s so important that we make it easier and affordable for people to drive zero-emission vehicles,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “In addition to rebates, we’re investing in the charging infrastructure people and businesses need to switch to low-carbon and more affordable travel options, as we work to build a clean and sustainable future for all British Columbians.”
The program provides as much as 50 per cent of the cost of equipment and installation, and a maximum of $80,000 per fast-charging station for communities and companies in B.C. Increased rebates up to 90 per cent of projects costs to a maximum of $130,000 per station are also available for Indigenous-owned fast-charging stations.
Ron Burton, board member of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association said “making EV charging more available, accessible and reliable are critical steps in supporting EV adoption and furthering our Clean BC goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through electrification of transportation.”
B.C. has one of the largest public charging networks in Canada. At the end of 2023, there were approximately 5,000 public charging stations in B.C., an increase from approximately 1,500 stations in 2018. The Province is on track to complete B.C.’s electric highway in summer 2024 with coverage along all highways and major roads and also working toward an overall target of 10,000 public charging stations by 2030.
CleanBC’s Go Electric EV Charger Rebate program offers rebates for as much as $2,000 per charger (as much as 50 per cent of costs) toward the cost of buying and installing eligible EV charging stations for multi-unit residential buildings (condominiums and apartments) and workplaces.
British Columbians are already adopting EVs at high rates across all regions of the province. The Province’s suite of Go Electric programs are exceeding original targets and B.C. has the highest rate of EV adoption in the country. In 2023, approximately 23 per cent of light-duty vehicle sales were EVs, an increase from 18 per cent of sales in 2022.
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