Expert says Canada doesn't have enough EV charging stations to meet growing demand

With electric vehicle sales booming amid Canada's clean-energy transition, there’s growing concern about whether the country has enough charging stations to meet the explosive demand.

British Columbia has more than 100,000 EVs registered, and that number is expected to climb to more than 635,000 by 2030, according to BC Hydro.

Experts worry if Canada doesn't build more charging stations at a faster rate, people might not want to trade in their gas-powered cars.

"It is the number one concern that I hear about electrification," said Brian Kingston, the president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association.

"It always comes down to concerns around charging infrastructure and range, as well as the price of this technology."

Nationally, there are only about 18,270 charging stations. To meet demand, Kingston said, the country is going to need at least 450,000.

“We have to have widespread charging infrastructure on public highways. There should be on-street charging in urban centers where you can park and charge when you're running an errand. And this has to be ubiquitous," he said.

"I’m worried that right now people don’t see that. They don’t see that this is going to be convenient and, as a result, they’re not willing to make the switch," he added.

With B.C. leading the country in going electric, Kingston said the need for more stations here is even more pressing.

"Right now, we have about 151 chargers at about 84 sites located throughout B.C. and by the end of 2025, we're hoping to expand that to 325 units at 145 locations," said Kyle Donaldson of BC Hydro.

"We’re always working to support electric vehicle growth and electric vehicle adoption and we have rebates that are available," he continued.

In an emailed statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation said:

"B.C. has one of the largest public charging networks in Canada. There are over 4,300 public electric vehicle charging stations across B.C., which is approaching 50 per cent of our goal of 10,000 public charging stations by 2030. That compares to just 781 charging stations in 2016."

"To date, the province has committed a total of $22 million to public charger installations through the CleanBC Go Electric public charger program and through a partnership with Natural Resources Canada," the statement continued.

Earlier this year, the federal government said it's investing more than $1.2 billion in funding to build more than 84,000 chargers by 2027.