Ottawa spending $10M on EV chargers, research in N.B.

An electric vehicle charges at a charging station in Montreal, Tuesday, November 10, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Graham Hughes

The federal government has announced its spending more than $10 million for electric vehicle infrastructure and innovation.

The announcement was made Saturday in Fredericton.

According to a news release, over $9 million will go through the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) to install more than 1,200 EV chargers in locations across Canada.

“With today’s announcement, we are helping enable the transition to zero-emission vehicles with the installation of additional EV chargers across Canada, many of which will be located in New Brunswick,” said Fredericton-Oromocto MP David Myles in the release. “Canadians can choose electric vehicles with confidence, knowing they can get where they need to go. We are also proud to support innovative research from Atlantic Canadians that makes EVs more affordable and efficient.”

The government says $1.4 million will go toward the Energy Innovation Program to support the University of New Brunswick’s work to develop new magnetic materials to reduce the cost and improve the performance of EV motors.

“I am proud to see University of New Brunswick researchers leading work on EV technology and contributing their expertise to this complex, challenging topic,” said UNB President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Paul J. Mazerolle. “This support from the Government of Canada enables Dr. Clodualdo Aranas and his team to work on paving the way for a more sustainable, made-in-Canada transportation future.”

The government says the new EV chargers will be located at workplaces, public places, on-street parking and multi-unit residential buildings in New Brunswick, Alberta and Ontario.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.