EV owners in B.C. say not enough public charging stations available

Electric vehicle (EV) owners say there are not enough public charging stations available in B.C., according to a recent Canadian Automobile Association survey.

The survey, which was conducted in October 2024 and included more than 5,100 B.C. EV owners found that seven out of 10 respondents were less than satisfied with the number of public fast chargers available. 

Despite this, 86 per cent of respondents said they were likely to repurchase an EV, with 97 per cent saying the cost of fuelling their EV is lower than gas-powered vehicles. 

"[The} survey shows that people are happy with their EV because they are cheaper to operate and easier to maintain than their previous gas-powered vehicles," said Shawn Pettipas, the director of mobility marketing at the B.C.Automobile Association.

Doug Beckett, the founder of the Prince George Electric Vehicle Association, says accessing charging stations has always been an issue for EV drivers but has been improving in recent years. 

"It's sometimes a little difficult to find a charging station," he said. "It takes a little planning. It's new." 

He says vehicle charging is more of an issue on longer journeys outside city hubs, where charging stations are less frequent. 

"There are pinch points in the travel corridor that need more charging stations," he said. "That's where, hopefully, private industry will realize they can make money and get involved."

In September, the province completed building its "Electric Highway" network of 155 charging stations and more than 310 fast chargers spaced about 150 kilometres apart along major B.C. roads.

B.C. Hydro has also announced it will start rolling out 400 kW charging stations in early 2025 that can deliver up to 100 kilometres of charge in just two to three minutes. 

Thousands of new charging stations will be needed in Metro Vancouver alone by 2050 to keep up with demand, according to a 2023 report from the Metro Vancouver Regional District. 

Almost a quarter of all new vehicle registrations in B.C. were electric in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from S&P Global. 

This is well above the national average of 16.5 per cent for the same time frame. 

Beckett says one of the main draws of owning an electric vehicle is lower travel costs, noting it costs him about $17 to drive his electric vehicle about 1,000 kilometres.