How BC is making it more affordable for you to charge your electric vehicle

As gas prices surge and more people make the move to electric vehicles, the BC government is making it more affordable to install charging stations at homes, businesses and in communities.

For a limited time, through the CleanBC Go Electric EV Charger Rebate and Fleets programs, funding will cover as much as 75% of eligible purchase and installation costs for EV charging stations, which is an increase from the previous 50% coverage.

The rebate is possible after a $2 million investment through the federal government’s NRCan’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP).

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“With electric vehicles representing 13% of all new light-duty vehicles sold in BC last year, our province has the strongest adoption rate of electric vehicles in Canada. We’re positioning ourselves to become leaders in the EV industry,” said Bruce Ralston, BC’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation. “We’re working with our federal partners to increase rebates for home, workplace and fleet charging, and making it easier and more affordable for people to make the switch to electric vehicles.”

Homes, workplaces, and communities can now receive 75% of the purchase and installation cost – for a rebate of up to $5,000.

As many as 360 EV chargers will be installed through the program.

“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, federal Minister of Natural Resources. “Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in British Columbia, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals.”

There is also funding being provided for businesses that own and operate fleet vehicles.

According to the release, “Fleet operators can get combined rebates from NRCan and the Province for a Level 2 charging station as much as 75% to a maximum of $5,000 of purchase and installation costs, and 75% to a maximum of $75,000 for a direct-current, fast-charging station. As many as 450 EV chargers will be installed through the program.”

As of the end of 2021, BC had more than 3,000 public EV charging stations around the province and almost 80,000 zero-emission vehicles were registered in BC.

BC will require 26% of all light-duty vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035 — five years ahead of the original target.