$30 million in new BC funding to install 500 EV public charging stations

$30 million in new provincial funding to install 500 electric vehicle public charging stations across BC

EV charing stations and a solar panel array installed at the west parking lot of Burnaby City Hall. (City of Burnaby)

The provincial government announced today it will invest $30 million towards installing over 500 additional public charging stations across British Columbia.

This is new additional funding under the 2024 provincial budget to further bolster the provincial government’s existing CleanBC’s Go Electric Public Charger Program.

The program focuses on locations that are highly accessible to the public, including community and recreation centres, libraries, highway rest stops, and park-and-ride stations.

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Up to 50% of the cost of equipment and installation is covered by the program, with a maximum of $80,000 per fast charging station for communities and companies. But for Indigenous-owned fast-charging stations, increased rebates of up to 90% of project costs are available to a maximum of $130,000 per station.

The cost of these stations can vary widely due to case-by-case project site and ground conditions, and the readiness of BC Hydro power connections.

According to the provincial government, BC already has one of the largest public charging networks in Canada, with about 5,000 public charging stations operational across the province at the end of 2023 — up from about 1,500 stations in 2018.

By Summer 2024, the provincial government will complete its electric highway — the full coverage of public charging stations along all highways and major roads. The longer term goal is to achieve a network size of 10,000 public charging stations by 2030.

“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, BC Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, in a statement.

“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.”

The provincial government is also offering rebates of up to $2,000 per charger (up to 50% of total costs of buying and installing) within condominium and apartment buildings and workplaces.

In 2022, 18% of new light-duty passenger vehicle sales in BC were already zero-emission models, which are overwhelmingly dominated by battery-electric vehicles. Initial data suggests this percentage is even higher for 2023.

Due to BC being ahead of schedule with its original battery-electric vehicle transition timeline, the provincial government has accelerated its legislated schedule for the timeline changes. The targets are now set as 26% by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035, which also aligns with the federal government’s 2035 timeline. Up to 900,000 battery-electric vehicles could be on BC’s roads in the next decade.

The provincial government is also directing BC Hydro to make major new investments in improving the resiliency and capacity of the electric grid to accommodate the accelerating electrification of transportation and building systems. The electric utility is slated to buy significantly more power later this decade as a direct result of this growing demand that is much sooner than expected.

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