Canada can meet EV charging demand through at least 2027, according to internal government documents.
The private sector has pledged to build 74,000 Level 2 chargers and almost 3,000 faster Level 3 chargers by 2030, according to a briefing document provided to Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on March 7 from officials in his department, which my Ottawa-based colleague David R. obtained via access-to-information law.
That, on top of the federal government’s planned 84,500 chargers, puts the country on target to meet or surpass Ottawa’s charging-infrastructure goals until 2027—about 95,000 slow chargers and 5,600 fast chargers—the memo says.
“I think it is a pretty fair analysis,” said Adam Thorn, director of the transportation program at the clean-energy think tank Pembina Institute. “There are some pretty big reasons to be optimistic.”
The new tally could be welcome news to the growing share of Canadian consumers skeptical about the EV transition because they’re concerned about charging infrastructure.
However, David Adams, CEO of Global Automakers of Canada, which represents companies like Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen, said the government’s projections likely underestimate the country’s true charging needs. For one, he said, Canada may need more chargers for its cold climate, which can mess with an EV’s range.
He pointed to the government’s proposal to mandate that at least 20 per cent of new light-duty vehicles offered for sale be ZEVs by 2026; if the feds follow through, he said, they should also mandate a certain level of charging infrastructure—and execute faster.
While most EV charging happens at home, Adams noted, consumer anxiety often centres on the highway range for long trips. Being able to see chargers and knowing where they are could “tip the scales” in favour of EV purchases, he said.
Whether Canada will be able to meet its charging needs after 2027 is less clear, according to the memo. One estimate shows Canada remaining on track to 2030, while another shows a 32,000-count shortfall in Level 2 chargers. The document also says its estimates are conservative, noting that some EV charging companies didn’t disclose their exact plans, and some provincial policies are in flux.
Slow chargers are important because they don’t draw as much power at once from utility grids, while constant fast-charging can degrade EV batteries, noted Meena Bibra, senior policy advisor on clean transport at Clean Energy Canada. A key challenge for Canada will be finding charging solutions for drivers who park on the street or live in apartment buildings with shared parking.
Sunil Johal, vice-president of public policy at the CSA Group think tank, said policies like commercial tax abatements for workplaces or movie theatres could incentivize Level 2 charger installations.
That way, he said, Canadians can avoid finding themselves in a “charging desert.”
Read Shift—The Logic’s authoritative weekly newsletter on automotive technology industry news—for more; and if you know someone who should be reading it, they can sign up here.
