Money from Ottawa, province will fund 27 new EV fast-chargers across P.E.I.
Prince Edward Island will have 27 new fast-charging stations for electric and hybrid vehicles by the fall of next year, with Ottawa's help.
The federal government is handing over $1.4 million to install 13 of the chargers at locations across the Island, with the goal of having them in place by September 2025. The province is matching that money for 14 more, to allow a total of 27 Level 3 chargers to be installed.
Charlottetown MP Sean Casey and P.E.I. Environment Minister Steven Myers announced the funding during a news conference in Wood Islands on Friday.
To help drivers switch to electric vehicles, or EVs, the federal government is aiming to install 42,000 charging stations across the country. The charges on P.E.I. will be located throughout the province, based on a study of traffic patterns conducted by Dalhousie University, Myers said.
"We're trying to spread them all over the island because part of the need for Level 3 charging is for people that are moving around longer distances. When you're in Charlottetown, like a charge would probably do you for a day,"
That's welcome news for Tim Dingwell, who drives an EV and would love to see more Level 3 chargers, especially outside Charlottetown.
"You go to rural areas, it's like gosh, I wish there were faster ones available so I could just charge up and get going again. Because compared to slow chargers, it takes like four to five hours. That charges in one hour and then it's back on the road. And that's what I love about it and I wish there was a lot more of those around.
EVs are typically cheaper to run due to the low cost to refuel and maintain them, Casey noted, adding that the widespread shift to electric vehicles creates manufacturing jobs across Canada.
P.E.I. government officials say there are now a dozen Level 3 fast chargers across the Island. (Nicola MacLeod/CBC)
"The biggest threat of our time is climate change. And the way to tackle it is through investments in clean technology and in reducing emissions. That's why it's important."
The P.E.I. government has also invested in EV charging stations. In February, officials with the province said there are now a dozen Level 3 fast chargers across the Island. They can give car owners an 80 per cent charge in just 20 to 30 minutes, with various payment rates applying.
The federal government wants to see EVs making up 100 per cent of new car sales by 2035, which is projected to reduce 360 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The provincial government's goal is to make the Island carbon-neutral by 2040. Myers said for P.E.I.'s net-zero plan to succeed, "we need to reduce transportation emissions."
