CALGARY, Alberta -- Petro-Canada is building a coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations across Canada.
The company announced that more than 50 charging stations would be installed at Petro-Canada sites along the Trans-Canada highway, which stretches from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. The first test site went live in Milton, Ontario, earlier this year, and is offering free charging for a limited time. (To see a video of that site being constructed, click here.)
Petro-Canada plans to begin installing the rest of the network this spring, and to open sites over the coming year.
“We know the needs of our customers are evolving as we transition to a low-carbon future, which is why we are excited to expand our current offering to support this growing customer segment,” said Kris Smith, executive vice president of downstream for Suncor Energy, parent company of Petro-Canada. “With more than 1,800 retail and wholesale locations across the country, we have the network in place to build Canada’s first electric highway, providing coast-to-coast EV charging for our customers. We’re also investing in the fastest charging EV technology available today, which will be able to easily upgrade as technology advances.”
The Petro-Canada sites will feature DC fast chargers with CHAdeMO and CCS/SAE connectors, which would offer compatibility with a wide range of EVs. The charging stations would be able to provide up to a 200-kW charge, 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.
Petro-Canada first began testing EV charging in 2014, and it already has 10 sites with Level 2 and Level 3 charging stations, some in partnership with third parties.
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.
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