The province is completing B.C.’s “Electric Highway,” a comprehensive network of fast-charging stations for public electric vehicle (EV) vehicles along all highways, including Sea to Sky Highway and major roadways.
Spanning the entire province, B.C.’s Electric Highway will open up EV travel from Alaska all through BC and along the west coast down to California. All B.C. sites will be energized, in service and open to the public before the end of September.
B.C.’s Electric Highway network includes 155 charging sites and more than 310 fast chargers, with some sites offering additional Level 2 chargers. The network’s broad geographic coverage ensures EV drivers can confidently travel anywhere in B.C., knowing they are never far from a fast-charging station. This helps address “range anxiety” – a concern of potential EV drivers – by guaranteeing that no part of the province is out of reach for EVs.
The Province said completing B.C.’s Electric Highway fulfils a fundamental commitment of CleanBC, the Province’s climate action plan. The Province is also working toward an overall target of building 10,000 public charging stations by 2030. As of August 2024, there are more than 5,300 public charging stations in the province, an increase of nearly 350% since 2018.
“Making the switch to an electric vehicle means less pollution and cleaner, healthier air in our communities and lower greenhouse gas emissions. We know that British Columbians need confidence they can charge up easily when travelling throughout our province,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “By investing in public charging infrastructure and completing B.C.’s Electric Highway, clean travel options will be more accessible for people and businesses as we continue our work to build a sustainable future for all British Columbians.”
In another first for British Columbia, BC Hydro will start rolling out 400 kW charging stations, capable of providing up to 100 kilometres of charge in just two to three minutes, early next year. While no locations have been confirmed, the plan is to place these chargers close to major highways where drivers have the greatest need for charging quickly, BC said in a press release.
J. Jay says
Who will take responsibility for the eventual failure of the e-cars etc. All that is printed about e-whatever has not been proven , nor has it been completely investigated about the damage its doing to the environment. Investigate the complete process and then print the truth.
Greg Pillon says
Mr. Jay, I respectfully submit that you are misinformed about electric cars. As a lifelong hotrodder, motorcyclist and sportscar enthusiast, I can tell you that electric drive beats internal combustion in EVERY category. Forget the environment for a moment, electric cars have far superior acceleration, cost pennies to operate in BC and – wait for it – require NO maintenance (except for wiper blades and tires). Yup, no oil changes, no filters, no coolant, no spark plugs – Nada. As a retired person on a fixed income driving my 2nd GM ev, I can tell you the far lower cost of operation is a huge pocketbook advantage. Go to your GM dealer, ask him to test drive a Bolt. Then tell us what you think … 😉
Shane Henderson says
Have you replaced your batteries yet ? And much do they cost to repair. And where does the electricity come from? And do you pay for the electricity to charge your car ?
Daryl says
Hi Shane, in BC, electricity largely comes from hydro-electric dams, and cost 13 cents per kWh. In my Hyundai Kona, that works out to about $2.21 per 100km driven. My vehicle is 6 years old, with 120,000 km, and the battery is still at about 97% of original capacity. I don’t know the cost to replace the battery, but there is nothing to “wear out”, so I don’t see that as an issue. Our similar vintage/mileage Subaru Outback has definitely cost more to own including $19,200 spent on fuel. This compares to $2,652 spent on electricity for the same distance travelled.
Michael Robinson says
In response to Mr. Jays comment, which seems to continue the fear when EV’s were first released that replacing the battery would cost more than the car, and would be required every two years…
Battery longevity in EV’s is much longer than even optimists predicted. They last the life of the car, maybe longer.
The environmental impact of EV’s is clear, well studied, and takes only a little research to discover.
Harry Long says
At one point, our family owned two Kia EVs. Of course EVs run cheaper than comparable sized ICE vehicles.
But the rare earth metals mining by indentured African children, combined with the far-ranging supply chain, will assure hunankind that EVs will have a short-lived history.
Far more likely, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles will usurp the current EV fad.
Keith Rispin says
They have been telling us that hydrogen will be taking over for 20 + years. I believed the hype back in 2005(ish) when I bought stock in Ballard Power Systems because the wisdom of the day was that it was the next biggest thing and would make anyone who invested in hydrogen power technologies, rich beyond their dreams. I am still waiting.