Canada installing 54 EV charging stations on Trans-Canada in Manitoba and Ontario

Canada is teaming up with three different companies to install 34 EV fast-charging stations along the Trans Canada Highway in Manitoba and Ontario in an attempt to encourage more motorists to use EVs on longer trips.

Funding for the program

The $173 million charging network announced earlier this year will allow charging of EV's in about 20 minutes. The different types of charging units are described in this Manitoba Hydro release.

The project is being funded by $8 million of a repayable contribution from Natural Resources Canada as part of the Canadian Energy Innovation Program. There is also private investment from eCamion, a Toronto energy storage system developer, Leclanche an energy storage provider and SGEM a Geneva-based power producer.

Canadian government wants to encourage EV use

In a news release, Jim Carr, the Canadian federal government Minister of Natural Resources said the increased use of EVs would help reduce emissions: “With more electric vehicles becoming available, we want to make them an easy choice for Canadians. The strategic investment brings us closer to having a national coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle charging stations while growing our economy and creating good jobs for Canada’s middle-class.”

Experts agree that developing and installing an adequate infrastructure throughout Canada is crucial in order increase EV sales across Canada.

The nature of the EV charge stations

Every new station will have a storage system that uses large-format lithium-ion batteries. There will be multiple outlets so that several cars will be able to charge at once. Each unit will be able to charge 3 cars at once.

The chargers are level 3 and typically use a 480 volt system. A vehicle can be fully charged in about half an hour. Level two chargers with 240 volt systems take about 8 to 100 hours. Ordinary level one 120 volt chargers take even longer. The different levels are described in this Manitoba Hydro release.

The 34 new stations will have 102 charging units spaced about 100 kilometres apart along 3,000 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway. The exact locations are not yet determined.

EV owners must wait a while before starting a trip

The stations are scheduled to be in operation by 2019.

Nevertheless Robert Elms, president of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association said: "I think it's terrific."

Elms noted that now the trip from Winnipeg Manitoba along the Trans Canada through northern Ontario is not practical for EV owners. There are at most level 2 chargers that can take up to 10 hours to charge a car. The newer level 3 chargers take only half an hour to an hour at most.

Bryan Urban, executive vice president of Leclanche North America, who is also president of Fast Charage a joint venture between Leclanche and eCamion said: "Vehicles will be able to power up during peak hours using off-peak energy and continue on their journey in a relatively similar amount of time it would take to fuel a fossil-fuel vehicle, grab a snack and visit a bathroom."

A study by Simon Fraser University in 2016 showed that there are only about 125 fully electric cars in Manitoba although there appear to be many hybrids often used by taxi companies. Ontario has more with 7,248 but no doubt most of those are in southern Ontario in larger cities.

The Canadian Automobile Association lists 18 charging stations within the city of Winnipeg. Going east on the Trans-Canada the next charging station is in Kenora a distance of 209 kilometers.

An EV charge station locater in Canada is provided by the CAA. The stations are rated in terms of the level of charge provided. There are nearly 6,000 across the country.

Previously published in Digital Journal

Network of EV charging stations to stretch from Norway all the way to Italy

A new network of 180 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will stretch all the way from Norway to Italy. The network will be supported by 10 million euros or $12 million funding from the European Union (EU).

E.ON and CLEVER's EV charge station network

EON-SE is joining with the Danish CLEVER company a Danish charging provider to build a network of fast-charging stations that will run all the way from Norway to Italy.

EON-SE is one of the world's largest investor-owned electric utility services. It has headquarters in Essen Germany. The company operates in more than 30 countries and has over 30 million customers.

First stations in Germany and Denmark will open before next summer. The stations are to be placed at least every 180 kilometers or about 112 miles. This will enable cross-continental road trips by EVs.

In Norway, the two companies will partner with gas station chain YX. They will install ultra-fast charging units at 20 service stations across Norway. The chargers have a 150 kw power level. They can recharge a 400 km-range battery in just 20 to 30 minutes. The units can be upgraded to 350 kw in the future as they have a modular design.

The chargers are to be installed from 2018 to 2020 and will be located along Norway's main highway corridors connecting Oslo with Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, and Trondheim as well as neighboring Sweden.

CLEVER CEO Casper Kirketerp-Moller said: “We wish to create an ultra-fast charging network that enables EV driving from Rome in Italy to Trondheim in Norway – connecting the main motorways in Europe. Our presence in Norway will give all the EV drivers in Norway access to ultra-fast charging locally and in connection with the rest of Europe as we expand the network. Teaming up with YX secures some of the best locations along the main transport corridors in Norway.”

Kristian Korsvold the CEO of YX Norway said that the EV is an important part of the future. He noted that CLEVER already operated a professional well-established charging network in Denmark and Sweden. Together with E-ON Korsvold said CLEVER had the ambition of establishing the fastest charging network in Europe.

As more stringent pollution standards are set many auto makers are turning to production of EVs. Better driving ranges and more available fast charge stations may encourage more sales and in turn this will increase demand for more charging stations.

Kirketerp-Moller said: “We have to be ready for the mass adoption of electric vehicles. We need infrastructure and we need to reduce range anxiety. What we lack is a network connection cities and countries."

Carmakers also join to set up charging network

Volkswagen, BMW, and Daimler are also teaming up to provide a network of 400 stations by the end of the decade. The auto makers are concerned about consumer worries about the usability of EV vehicles. Providing an adequate infrastructure of charging stations could well alleviate these fears.

CLEVER already operates 1,500 stations across Scandinavia and northern Germany. With the additional stations provided by the auto companies and the E.ON Clever plan, EV owners should have less concern about taking longer trips with their vehicles.

CLEVER and E.ON issued a joint statement saying: "Although, it is still early days, both companies are seeing a global shift towards electric vehicles. Countries as well as the European Union are beginning to make pledges to phase out petrol- and diesel-fueled cars and consumers and car manufactures are switching to electric vehicles."