CALGARY, Alberta — Petro-Canada has finished installing its coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations, completing Canada’s Electric Highway, which stretches from British Columbia to Nova Scotia.
In early 2019, Petro-Canada announced plans to install more than 50 EV fast-charging stations at its fueling sites along the Trans-Canada highway, which travels across all 10 provinces and spans more than 4,800 miles.
The installations began in January 2019 at a Petro-Canada site in Milton, Ontario. The final and westernmost site recently went live in an unveiling at a Petro-Canada station near Victoria, British Columbia. The easternmost location is at a Petro-Canada in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia.
The fast-charging stations can provide up to 200-kW charging, delivering an 80% charge to the typical EV battery in less than 30 minutes. The stations will have the capability to upgrade to even more powerful and faster 350-kW charging in the future. They also feature CHAdeMO and CCS/SAE connectors, which offer compatibility with most EVs.
“With more than 100,000 electric vehicles on the road in Canada and an average of 4,000 EVs added each month, we know that this is an important step in meeting the current and future driving needs of Canadians,” said Mark Little, president and CEO of Suncor Energy, parent company of Petro-Canada. “We want to be part of the total solution to meet energy demand and reduce the carbon footprint of the transportation system. Canada’s Electric Highway is one of the ways we are able to support the total solution.”
The completion of Canada’s Electric Highway was partly funded with $4.6 million Canadian ($3.51 million U.S.) from the Government of Canada’s Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative.
“Our government is supporting initiatives like Petro-Canada’s coast-to-coast network of EV fast chargers: putting more electric vehicles on our roads, reducing pollution and creating stronger and more sustainable communities,” said the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources.
Petro-Canada began testing EV charging in 2014 and now has 10 sites with Level 2 and Level 3 charging stations, some in partnership with third parties. These types of sites take hours, as opposed to minutes, to deliver a nearly full charge.
The Calgary, Alberta-based company is owned by Suncor Energy, a major Canadian integrated energy company whose operations include oil sands development and upgrading, onshore and offshore oil and gas production, petroleum refining and petroleum product marketing. Petro-Canada operates more than 1,500 retail stations and 300 Petro-Pass wholesale locations in Canada.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.