A recent spike in gas prices has some drivers taking a serious look at buying electric cars, and the B.C. government wants to help encourage the switch.

Gas prices jumped as much as 15 cents per litre across Canada overnight.

In B.C. prices went up by as much as seven cents per litre in a matter of hours.

One fuel watchdog said he doesn’t know the reason for the jump at the pump.

“The price of gas hasn’t actually increased on international markets, so what’s driving these prices remains a mystery,” said Dan McTeague of the website Tomorrow’s Gas Price Today.

“Without an explanation, in my view, it looks like a lot of mystery cents being tacked on the bottom line for consumers across Canada. It’s not right.”

McTeague suspects the drop in fuel consumption following summer holidays may be behind the rising prices.

The sudden price increase has frustrated drivers and some even said they are considering giving gas cars the heave ho.

Loreta Conte said driving an economy car doesn’t seem to matter to her bottom line anymore.

“I have a small car and it’s costing a fortune to fill up right now,” said Conte.

She said the high prices have her weighing her consumer options, which could mean buying an electric car.

Consumer advocates have called on the federal government to regulate fuel prices.

But the B.C. government said it intends to pour money into another solution.

By next March the government will add more than 400 new electric car charging stations to neighbourhoods around the province at a cost of $2.7 million.

Experts said few people drive electric cars now because they are more expensive than conventional cars, but B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake thinks that will change.

“As people adapt and adopt the technology - and I think we’ll see that - I think in five years we’ll see the Chevy Volt is cheaper than it is today,” said Lake.

What could further help the switch is that the price of one charge for an electric car is about the same as the cost of one litre of gas.

Conte said more stations and cheaper transportation energy costs for her car would encourage her to make the switch to an electric car.

“If they do have these stations, then it would make me think of doing it (buying an electric car) quicker,” she said.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Bhinder Sajan