Feds to fund 480 electric car chargers in B.C., even as EV sales fall

Ottawa has announced plans to fund nearly 500 new electric vehicle chargers in B.C.

The federal government has announced it will spend $22.7 million to build 480 charging ports for electric vehicles around B.C.

But it comes at a time when sales have dropped following pauses to government rebate programs for EVs at both the federal and provincial levels.

“These charging stations are also about that peace of mind to address range anxiety, to make sure that everybody knows they can get where they need to go,” said federal Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson at a news conference in Victoria on Wednesday.

The announcement comes at a time when the car industry has its own anxiety about a federal mandate requiring 20 percent of new vehicles sold to be fully electric by 2026 – rising to 100 percent by 2035.

“The charging infrastructure announcement today is terrific, but you’re still missing a key piece of the program, which is the rebates, while at the same time, industry and consumers are sort of saddled with these unchanged zero-emission mandates at both levels,” said New Car Dealers Association of B.C. president and CEO Blair Qualey during an interview with CTV News on Wednesday.

The government’s announcement comes after a poll commissioned by resource industry advocacy group Resource Works found 56 per cent of respondents oppose mandates on EV sales.

“And so, comparing the results, we see that the gap between those who oppose mandates and those who support them has grown by seven points in one year. A clear majority of British Columbians oppose these electric vehicle mandates,” said Barry Penner with the Energy Futures Institute, a campaign put together by Resource Works.

The province’s goal is to have 1,000 public charging ports in place by 2027.