TORONTO — Canadian Tire is adding to its electric vehicle (EV) charging station count, thanks to a new round of investment from the Canadian government.
In 2016, Canadian Tire Corp. received a $1.3 million grant from Natural Resources Canada’s Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative (EVAFIDI) to add 28 DC fast-charging stations to its locations in Ontario, installed by charging solution provider AddEnergie. In October 2019, Electrify Canada—the Canadian sister company of Electrify America—announced it would launch its nationwide EV charging network with more than 20 installations at Canadian Tire locations.
Canadian Tire is receiving another grant of $2.17 million from EVAFIDI to install an additional 54 EV fast-charging stations at locations in central and western Canada.
The funding is part of the Canadian government's $182.5 million investment to develop a coast-to-coast EV fast-charging network, build natural gas fueling stations along major roads and hydrogen stations in metropolitan areas, and to support the development of new technologies. The investment will also support the development of common codes and standards with the United States for EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure. The Government of British Columbia is also contributing $275,000 toward the fast chargers through its Clean Energy Vehicle Public Fast Charging Program.
By the end of 2020, 90 Canadian Tire sites will host fast-charging stations, including 240 fast chargers—which can charge up a battery to about 80% capacity in 30 minutes—and 55 Level 2 charging stations, which can charge up a battery in several hours. The fast-charging stations include Tesla Supercharger locations.
“Canadian Tire is a proud Canadian company committed to addressing the challenges of climate change throughout our operations,” said Andrew Davies, senior vice president of automotive for Canadian Tire, Toronto. “The network of EV fast chargers that we are creating with the support of partners like Natural Resources Canada is an example of how we are evolving to meet the needs of all drivers while helping our customers reduce their emissions.”
Canadian Tire joins Petro-Canada in helping develop the country’s coast-to-coast EV charging network. In December 2019, Petro-Canada, a division of Suncor Energy, finished installing more than 50 EV fast-charging stations at its fueling sites along the Trans-Canada highway, an effort that was also partly funded by a grant from the EVAFIDI initiative.
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