Dozens of EV charging stations to be installed in northern, central B.C. and Vancouver Island

Dozens more charging stations for electric vehicles are to be installed around the province, the B.C. government says, with a focus on northern and central regions and Vancouver Island.

The creation of 83 additional stations is being funded by more than $1.7 million from a combination of federal, provincial and municipal governments, regional districts and First Nations.

Fifty-five of the new chargers will be located in northern and central B.C. and Haida Gwaii, according to a release.

The expanding network is part of the Charge North project, which aims to electrify close to 2,800 kilometres of highway across the area, the provincial government says. 

"Expanding electric vehicle stations across northern, central and coastal B.C. will make clean transportation options more viable to more people," said Catherine McKenna, federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

In a separate release, the province said 28 new EV charging stations will be installed on Vancouver Island.

The province said it expects that the project will more than double the number of Level 2 EV charging stations available in participating communities across more than 300,000 square kilometres.

The locations of the new charging stations are as follows:

Mainland/Haida Gwaii locations

• 100 Mile House (2)
• Ashcroft (2)
• Barriere (2)
• Burns Lake (1)
• Granisle (1)
• Masset (1)
• Tow Hill (1)
• Sandspit (1)
• Queen Charlotte (1)
• Houston (1)
• Kitimat (2)
• Logan Lake (2)
• McBride (4)
• Nisga'a Nation (5)
• Prince George (12)
• Prince Rupert (2)
• Quesnel (2)
• Smithers (2)
• Stellat'en First Nation (1)
• Stewart (1)
• Sun Peaks (2)
• Terrace (2)
• Valemount (2)
• Vanderhoof (2)
• Village of Hazelton (1)

Vancouver Island locations

• Nanaimo regional district (10)
• City of Nanaimo (4)
• Comox Valley Regional District (4)
• Courtenay (3)
• Comox (1)
• Cumberland (2)
• Campbell River (1)
• Ucluelet (2)
• Tofino (1)

More than $575,000 of the funding for the expansion is coming from the provincial CleanBC Communities Fund, while almost $700,000 will be through the federal government's Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. Participating regional districts, municipalities and First Nations are contributing more than $450,000.

The federal government said it plans to invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes in Canada's rural and northern communities.