Government of Canada Announces 660 New EV Chargers in Nova Scotia

WOLFVILLE, NS, July 18, 2024 /CNW/ - Making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) is a win-win for families looking to save money while reducing pollution. Due to cheaper refuelling and lower maintenance costs, most EVs cost less than their gas-powered counterparts over their lifetime.

Canadians are also benefiting from federal investments across the EV supply chain, which are positioning Canada as a leader in the growing global EV market and creating good manufacturing jobs across the country.

Today, Member of Parliament, Kody Blois, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced federal investments in two organizations to install 660 Level 2 EV chargers across Nova Scotia:

• $3,054,725 million to Polycorp Group of Companies to install 634 Level 2 chargers at nine multi-unit residential buildings across the province; and,
• $95,596 to 292 Main Street Developments Limited to install 26 Level 2 chargers across the province.

All the chargers are expected to be installed by December 2024 and will help EV drivers get to where they need to go with confidence and ease. Before hitting the roads, Canadians can easily map out their route by consulting Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan) Electric Charging and Alternative Fuelling Stations Locator.

To help drivers make the switch to EVs, the Government of Canada is supporting the deployment of a coast-to-coast-to-coast network of charging stations along highways and in communities' public places, on-street, in multi-unit residential buildings, at workplaces and for vehicle fleets. To date, NRCan investments are helping to deploy over 41,000 EV chargers across the country where they are most needed. This month, the federal government launched a new request for proposals (RFP) under the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. This new round of projects will support the deployment of EV chargers, including fast chargers, in public places across Canada such as highways and public lots. The RFP will also support the deployment of chargers at private locations, including multi-unit residential buildings, workplaces and buildings where on-road vehicle fleets are serviced.

Since 2020, automotive and battery manufacturers have announced investments in Canada of more than $34 billion to transition to electric vehicle production and to establish a battery supply chain. The government has also worked to secure critical battery manufacturing investments through special contribution agreements and the Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit. Additional investments made toward the development of a Battery Innovation Roadmap will help Canada lay out its capacity to develop, commercialize and scale up a sustainable domestic battery innovation ecosystem. Together, these investments are creating thousands of sustainable jobs across the EV value chain.

The investments announced today support commitments included in the recent Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, which aims to further accelerate the Canadian adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), ultimately contributing to the national targets of all vehicles sales being ZEV by 2035.

Quotes

"We're making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more available where Canadians live, work, travel and play. Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in Nova Scotia, will put more Canadians in the driver's seat on the road to a strong, healthy net-zero future."   

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson 
Canada's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"Today's investment is an important one for ensuring access to reliable EV charging infrastructure outside of major urban centers. I know the investment will help contribute to the further uptake of zero-emission vehicles in communities across East Hants."

Kody Blois
Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants 

"At POLYCORP, we're committed to providing homes that leave a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional buildings. This investment by the Government of Canada will help us deliver a record number of EV chargers to our residents, resulting in homes that are better for the health of our planet."

Peter Polley
Owner of POLYCORP Group

"292 Main Street Developments is proud to share the net-zero vision with NRCan and the Town of Wolfville. Our initiatives will not only support those currently driving EVs by providing charging infrastructure at our Latitude 45 Suites project but will also expose the benefits of EV's and net-zero driving experience by offering an internal EV car-sharing program. This car-sharing program offers net-zero mobility benefits and a reduced cost of transportation on an as-needed basis. We see this as a leading-edge transportation model, and we applaud the Town of Wolfville and NRCan for supporting this initiative."

Kevin Gildart
President, 292 Main Street Developments Limited

Quick Facts

• On-road transportation accounts for about 18 percent of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions.
• Phasing in 100-percent new electric vehicle sales by 2035 is projected to reduce over 360 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, avoiding almost $100 billion in global damages.
• The Government of Canada has allocated over $1 billion in funding to support the deployment of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
• The Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program provides funding to support the installation of EV chargers in multi-unit residential buildings, at workplaces, on-street, in public places, and where EV fleets are serviced.
• The Canada Infrastructure Bank's (CIB) Charging and Hydrogen Refuelling Infrastructure initiative was created to invest in large-scale ZEV charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure across Canada that is revenue-generating and in the public interest.
• To date, the Canada Infrastructure Bank has announced funding for 4,000 fast chargers through two projects with Flo and Parklands.
• The Government of Canada's Incentives for Zero-Emissions Vehicles (iZEV) Program has provided over 300,000 incentives of up to $5,000 to help Canadians and Canadian businesses make the switch.
• Provincial incentive programs are also becoming available to help more Canadians purchase or lease an EV.
• Over 50 models qualify for the federal iZEV purchase incentive in 2023, which is an 80-percent increase from 2019.

Related Information 

• ZEV Resource Hub
• Zero-emission vehicle infrastructure funding
• Charging and Hydrogen Refuelling Infrastructure initiative
• 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy
• Canada's Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (regulated targets for zero-emission vehicles)
• Sustainable Jobs Plan
• Nova Scotia Power
• Government of Nova Scotia
• Dalhousie University
• Energy Innovation Program
• Michelin's $300 million investment to modernize their Nova Scotia facilities and make more EV tires
• An investment of $980,000 to support the Halifax Regional Municipality install 56 New Chargers
• The Clean Foundation's $1.2 million investment to deploy and install up to 250 EV chargers throughout the province
• Support to Southwest Properties for 20 new Level 2 EV chargers in Halifax

Follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Contacts: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Joanna Sivasankaran, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Canada, 343-292-6837, [email protected]