Major boost for EV infrastructure

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/08/2023 (747 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The efforts to build a proper electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in Manitoba recently received a $3 million boost with the hopes that it will help finance the installation of as many as 300 new charging stations across the province in the next three years.

The funding comes from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program and is being administered by the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association (MMDA) who started accepting applications for funding this week.

The program will pay 50 per cent of the costs of an installation with up to $100,000 for some Level 3 fast chargers and smaller caps for slower speed Level 2 chargers.

Private workplaces and installations for in-house fleets of electric vehicles are eligible, but it seems that at least some emphasis will be placed on projects where the installation will be in public spaces like recreation centres, libraries, town halls, curbside locations, service stations, restaurants, medical offices and park-and-ride sites.

Geoff Sine, the general manager of the MMDA — which previously administered a $2 million funding tranche from the same federal government program that was specifically targeted at installations at its dealership member locations — said the project is an effort to expand the network of chargers in the province.

The federal government has mandated that by 2035 100 per cent of new passenger vehicle sales in Canada must be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs).

There is expectation that the funding will not last long because of increasingly broad adoptions of environmentally friendly policies by both private and public sector organizations, let alone the need to address the increasing market demand.

“If we are over-subscribed that will be good,” said Geoff Sine, executive director of the MMDA. “That means we can show there is a need for this and hopefully get additional funding for the different groups in Manitoba to continue to expand the network.”

In addition to government mandates, auto dealers also have to comply with targets that the auto manufacturers themselves impose.

For instance, the Birchwood Automotive Group — the largest auto dealership enterprise in the province — is in the process of installing three Level 3 chargers at its Ford dealership to satisfy requirements for Ford dealership facilities. That will be about a $500,000 capital cost.

Steve Chipman, CEO of Birchwood, said its dealership network already has 39 level-2 and 12 level-3 chargers.

“We’re investing for the future not for today,” said Chipman who figures EVs account for between three and five per cent of the new vehicle sold in the province today.

That’s a far cry from the 100 per cent target by 2035, but the addition of more charging stations will start to assuage the range anxiety that may be keeping prospective EV buyers from buying electric.

Regardless of current demand, the opportunity to have an EV charging station in, for example, a retail store’s parking lot, can burnish the reputation of the retailer in question.

John Graham the Retail Council of Canada’s director of government relations for the Prairies, said the financial incentive will make it appealing for some retailers who have been looking at doing something like this.

“Most major retailers are making environmental commitments across all aspects of their businesses, from packaging decisions to store operations to supporting EV growth,” said Graham.

The financial incentive might be particularly important in Manitoba where the number of vehicles are still so low. In fact, Electric Mobility Canada, a non-profit organization that advocates for adopting EVs and other forms of zero-emission transportation, recently ranked Manitoba 12th of the 13 provinces and territories in its ZEV scorecard, characterizing the province as “getting ready”. B.C. is at the other other end of the scorecard spectrum and referred to as a “global leader”.

Dany Robidoux, executive director of Eco-West, a Winnipeg-based national organization promoting the sustainable economic development of Canada’s rural municipalities, said there are many reasons Manitoba is late to the EV party, including the actual availability of inventory.

While he said it’s not always easy to find willing participants in Manitoba who want to install EV chargers — Eco-West previously administered $500,000 from the same federal fund MMDA is currently running — he said there is also a supply chain issue when it comes to actually having a selection of EVs for sale in Manitoba

“The challenge in the Prairies is that we need to be able to get the cars here to buy them,” he said. “The manufacturers are smart. They are going to focus their attention where the return on investment is quicker.”

To some extent Manitobans’ current lack of enthusiasm for EV’s is not surprising. There are no incentives that provinces like B.C. and Quebec offer consumers, the frigid winters are tough on battery performance and the dearth of charging stations in rural Manitoba adds another level of uncertainty for EV drivers.

Slowly but surely attention is being paid to what will be needed in the province for the future all-electric road travel.

The MMDA has helped set up the Manitoba ZEV Council with all the stakeholders at the table whose mandate is to assist in the development and implementation of long-term strategic objectives.

“If we don’t want to be left behind, we have to make sure we position ourselves properly,” Robidoux said. “We are slowly getting there.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca