Last week was Electrical Vehicle Week in Canada, leading to a flurry of investment announcements from Ottawa ranging from new developments in charging infrastructure and battery manufacturing to purchase incentives and zero-emissions buses.
“The transportation sector is Canada’s second-biggest source of emissions fuelling climate change, and one of the fastest growing. Zero-emission passenger vehicles are road-ready technology, and more and more Canadians want to buy them. EVs will make our air cleaner while offering Canadian households big savings on fuel and maintenance. It’s the smart consumer choice for a cleaner environment,” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Here is a recap of the announcements made:
Deploying Charging Infrastructure
Thousands of new electric cars will require thousands of new chargers. Since 2015, Canada has invested a historic $1 billion to make EVs more affordable and chargers more accessible. Federal rebates of up to $5,000 are also aimed at making the switch to electric vehicles more affordable for consumers.
During #EVWeek, the Government of Canada announced the deployment of over 6,000 EV chargers across the country, supported by a total investment of over $45 million. Government representatives led 10 specific announcements across provinces and territories, totalling over $16 million to install nearly 2,000 EV chargers across the country. The announced investments last week included:
- $4.6 million to Hydro-Québec to help support the installation of up to 840 EV chargers across Quebec.
- $3.95 million to Shell Canada to install 79 EV chargers across 37 retail locations along critical corridors in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
- $2 million to the Government of Prince Edward Island’s Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate Action to support the installation of up to 250 EV chargers on the island.
- $2 million to Manitoba Motor Dealers Association to install up to 300 EV chargers across Manitoba in public places, multi-family residences and workplaces and for light-duty vehicle fleets.
- $1.7 million to the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the City of Burnaby to install 128 EV chargers in Burnaby, and across British Columbia.
- $765,000 to Peak Power Inc. to install 117 EV grid-smart chargers across Ontario, across mixed-use developments.
- $560,000 to Eco-West Canada to install up to 100 EV chargers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in public places, on-street, in multi-family buildings and workplaces or for light-duty vehicle fleets.
- $414,000 to the Government of Northwest Territories to help support the installation of up to 72 EV chargers across the Northwest Territories.
- $350,000 to the New Brunswick Power Corporation to install in workplaces 52 EV chargers across New Brunswick.
- $55,000 to Southwest Properties Limited to install 20 EV chargers in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Federal representatives also participated in two events with the Ivy Charging Network and takeCHARGE, representing a total investment of over $9 million to install 198 EV chargers in Ontario, and in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Supporting EV Development and Deployment
On July 13, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Minister François-Philippe Champagne in announcing Umicore’s plans to invest $1.5 billion in Canada to establish an electric vehicle battery component production net-zero facility, in Loyalist Township, Ontario. This project will create a thousand jobs during construction and hundreds of long-term positions once the plant is up and running. Made-in-Canada battery materials are an essential part of ensuring North American energy and mineral security and ensuring the country becomes a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles.
In order to help businesses and communities make the switch to zero-emissions transportation, the Government of Canada also announced the new iMHZEV Program. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles contribute to nearly 10 percent of Canada’s emissions. The Government of Canada is providing nearly $550 million over four years to support eligible recipients in purchasing or leasing medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). This program builds on the the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program, which has already helped Canadians purchase or lease over 141,000 new light-duty zero-emission vehicles since 2019.
The federal budget invested in electric vehicle deployment by providing an additional $1.7 billion to extend the government’s purchase incentive program until March 2025 and to expand the types of vehicle models eligible under the program, which would include more vans, trucks and SUVs, in support of the government’s objective of adding 50,000 zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) chargers to Canada’s network.
Decarbonizing Transit and School Buses
Leading up to #EVWeek, the Government of Canada announced a$253,000 investmentto support the transition to low-emission transit for the cities of Brampton and Burlington, in partnership with the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium, through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund. Funding was also announced to support the electrification of public transit in St. Catharines and Thorold, Ontario — reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent while enhancing air quality.
As part of the transition to net-zero by 2050, Infrastructure Canada and the Canada Infrastructure Bank are supporting the decarbonization of public transit and school buses. The Government of Canada is on track to surpass the 2019 commitment supporting the procurement of over 5,000 zero-emissions buses, including nearly 4,000 school buses in B.C., Quebec and P.E.I. and over 1,200 public
