Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, announced a $229,356 CAD investment in Hypercharge for the installation of 48 Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) chargers on Wednesday.
The chargers will be placed in 11 parking lots across Southern Ontario. Hypercharge also contributed additional funding, bringing the total project value to $458,712. The chargers are expected to be operational by December 2024.
“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more available where Canadians live, work and play. Investing in more EV chargers, like these ones in Ontario, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a strong, healthy net-zero future,” said Wilkinson.
David Bibby, President and CEO of Hypercharge, expressed gratitude for the funding. “We are tremendously grateful to be selected for this funding from NRCan to grow the availability of EV charging infrastructure and the adoption of electric vehicles in Ontario. We recognize that parking lot locations in these municipalities remain underserved by EV charging, and this investment ensures that we take a proactive step in addressing that gap,” Bibby stated.
The investment is part of the Canadian government’s broader efforts to promote the adoption of electric vehicles, which currently account for about 18% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Federal incentives of up to $5,000, along with provincial programs, are available to assist Canadians in purchasing or leasing an EV. The government’s incentive program has been extended to March 2025 and now includes a wider range of eligible vehicle models.
The funding comes through Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program and aligns with the government’s goal to support the installation of 84,500 EV chargers by 2029. To date, nearly 45,000 chargers have been installed across Canada, supported by the government. But recent reports have stated of chargers invested by the federal government, less than 20% are operational.