A network of EV charging stations across central and northern B.C. has now powered one million kilometres of emissions-free travel, backed by dozens of local governments, Indigenous communities, and tourism groups collaborating to draw visitors and keep them longer.
The million-kilometre milestone, achieved at the end of 2024, represents the amount of power delivered by EV chargers in the region since the first of 60 Level 2 chargers were installed in 2022 by Charge North in Fort Nelson, 1,600 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
The estimate was calculated and reported by the Community Energy Association (CEA), which facilitated the project. It’s based on the fact that each of its stations provides roughly 40 kilometres of range per hour of charging, and the network has, to date, hosted nearly 16,000 charging sessions. The network enables emissions-free driving for residents and visitors, but for some of the EV stations, power may come from gas or diesel, depending on the energy mix at the location.
Today, the 2,800-kilometre network runs 380 kilometres south from Fort Nelson to Fort. St. John, then another 440 kilometres southwest to Prince George. From there, the network splits, connecting eastward to McBride, 100 Mile House, and then back north to Quesnel and Prince George. The eastern network also includes a smaller loop into the Okanagan as far south as Logan Lake.
Westward from Prince George, the network has charging locations in Smithers, Kitimat, and Prince Rupert, with dozens of locations in between. There are also four charging locations on Haida Gwaii.
For many of the communities involved, this is their first foray into public EV charging.
Charge North, launched in 2019 and facilitated by the CEA, was started by six Northern and Interior regional districts plus more than 40 local governments and First Nations communities.
Describing, Danielle Wiess, CEA’s director of transportation initiatives, said the evolution of public EV infrastructure and purchases in British Columbia really has been a case of, “If you build the infrastructure, adoption will follow.”
She cited a perceptible pattern of EV purchases rising as charging networks spread east from the Lower Mainland to the Okanagan and on to the Kootenays.
What really drove Charge North’s network forward was the recognition that it would bring tourists into communities, and with them, much-needed economic development.
“The main driver, 100%, has been economic development and tourism,” Wiess said, noting that the potential for such development is baked into the EV charging model.
Whereas gas stations are pit stops, increasingly on highways away from town centres, Charge North’s EV charging stations are embedded in communities, providing users with the opportunity to walk around a place, grab a bite to eat, or shop as their vehicle charges. (Level 2 chargers offer about 40 kilometres of range for every hour of charging.)
A testimonial from a couple from Alberta, who used to pass through Golden on their way west, illustrates her point. Before they bought an EV, they used to stop only briefly at the Shell station on the highway. The first time through with their new car, they needed to head downtown to charge. They had a meal and walked around the mountain town.
Now, Wiess said, “they make it a point, on their journey west, to spend a night there every year.”
