Availability of charging stations could detour regional travel plans

It’s possible to drive across Atlantic Canada in an Electric Vehicle (EV), but access to charging stations could be an issue warns Kevin Peters, chief operating officer of Hickman Automotive Group.

There are only 264 charging stations across Atlantic Canada. By comparison, Irving Oil alone has over 900 fuelling locations.

Still, interest in electric-powered vehicles is on the rise, says Peters, whose company has sold a number of them to both private and commercial customers. “There were 8,000 EVs purchased across Canada in the first quarter of 2019—a 25 per cent increase over the same period the year before.”

As people become more aware of the lower maintenance costs and environmental advantages of EVs compared to combustion engines, and as EV battery costs go down and their quality goes up, Peters says we can expect to see a lot more EVs on the road in the near future. “Some countries have already committed to banning combustion vehicles altogether by 2040,” he says.

Here in Atlantic Canada, it’s a question of what will come first: will more EV purchases drive more charging stations, or will more charging stations lead to increased EV purchases? Peters predicts it will be a combination of both.
For now, EV road trippers can usually rely on finding a charging station at an automotive dealership (Peters confirms that you’ll find them at Hickman’s locations). Beyond that, you might want to visit https://chargehub.com/en/countries/canada for a list of sites.