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Government Climate Targets Will Cost $20 Billion Just for Electric Car Charging Stations

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Government Climate Targets Will Cost $20 Billion Just for Electric Car Charging Stations
A Tesla electric car charges at a public charging station in the city center of Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 11, 2020. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Marnie Cathcart
11/15/2022
Updated:
11/15/2022

Canada will need 200,000 public chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) just to have a ratio of one charger to 24 EVs. The infrastructure required just to power these cars will cost an estimated $20 billion over the next three decades, a new report produced by the federal government concludes.

All of this is required to meet the mandates put in place by Canada’s Liberal government. By 2035, 100 percent of new light-duty car sales must be electric cars, the feds say. A reported $3.3 billion has already been spent on rebates and subsidies since 2016, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
To achieve the target of 100 percent market share for EV sales by 2035, sales would need to go from the current 5 percent, to 15 percent of all new vehicle sales by 2025, and then to 60 percent of all new sales five years later, by 2030.

5 Percent Drive Electric Cars

This is quite a dramatic increase, considering that the large majority of Canadians seem uninterested in purchasing EVs. Only 5 percent of Canadians surveyed indicate they currently own or lease an EV, according to a Nov. 15, 2021 report on how the country’s citizens view zero-emission vehicles (EVs). Ninety-five percent of Canadians surveyed did not have an EV, and 43 percent responded they did not intend to purchase one.

Electric vehicles still face a number of hurdles with technology, due to charging limitations, winter conditions, and the geographic spread of the country. Charging stations between large cities and the considerable distance it takes to travel across Canada will require a significant investment in new infrastructure.

“Infrastructure along highway corridors is essential to ensure connectivity. The long distance between populated areas in Canada means many of these corridors do not serve high volumes,” said the report.

“As temperatures move towards the cold or hot extremes there are negative impacts on vehicle and battery efficiency resulting in greater charging needs,” added the report.

Home Charge Issues

A number of households will also not have access or ability to home charge an EV, noted the report, suggesting “public charging infrastructure can potentially serve as a substitute.” It will cost more, however, the report acknowledges. “While this is typically less convenient and more expensive than charging at home, it may be the only option for some households.”

The report, Canada’s Public Charging Infrastructure Needs: Updated Projections, does not calculate what portion of expenses for new EV charging stations would require funding from the feds.

The government has implemented EV targets as part of climate plans, and claims transportation causes 25 percent of emissions. According to the government, Canadians need to make the switch to “pollution-free electrified transportation.”

Most Canadians are not sold on buying an electric car. Most EVs in Canada are purchased in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, according to Statistics Canada.

From July 11 to 15, the federal government announced major spending on EV and charging infrastructure, including: