Canada has made significant progress building the charging infrastructure needed to support the transition to electric vehicles. But with the federal government preparing its next budget, there is a risk that one of the programs responsible for that progress will run out of road.
Pollution Probe is working with the Green Budget Coalition to encourage the federal government to renew and expand Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), which is currently scheduled to end in March 2027.
The Green Budget Coalition is recommending an investment of $325 million over three years, beginning in 2027, to continue building a national public EV charging network.
Canada still faces a major charging gap
Since its launch in 2019, ZEVIP has played an important role in addressing one of the most significant barriers to EV adoption: access to convenient and reliable charging.
Pollution Probe has seen the program’s impact firsthand. Through our CHARGED program, and with our partners, we have helped support the installation of more than 1,000 chargers across Canada since 2022.
But Canada’s charging network will need to grow dramatically as more drivers switch to electric vehicles. Estimates suggest Canada will need approximately 240,000 additional public chargers by 2030 to meet anticipated demand.
The challenge is particularly significant in rural, remote and underserved communities, where access to reliable public charging can be limited. A recent national report cited by the Green Budget Coalition found dissatisfaction with the availability of public chargers ranging from 54 per cent in Quebec to as high as 79 per cent in other parts of Canada.
Without adequate charging infrastructure, Canadians may be reluctant to make the switch to an EV—even when an electric vehicle otherwise makes sense for their household.
Filling a gap in federal support
The federal government’s increased funding for the Canada Infrastructure Bank to support charging infrastructure is a positive step. But CIB financing and ZEVIP serve different—and complementary—parts of the market.
CIB funding is focused on very large fast-charging projects. ZEVIP fills a critical gap by supporting smaller projects and communities that may not be served by these large investments.
That includes small and medium-sized businesses, municipalities outside major urban centres, multi-unit residential buildings and underserved and non-urban communities.
ZEVIP’s cost-sharing approach is also designed to leverage substantial investment from the private sector and other partners, allowing federal dollars to go further. The federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development has recognized the program’s effectiveness in leveraging private investment.
Building on progress
Pollution Probe has worked on electric mobility for more than two decades—from early research into Canadians’ perceptions of EV technology to today’s work deploying charging infrastructure across the country.
That experience has reinforced a simple lesson: Canadians need confidence that they will be able to charge an EV where they live, work and travel.
Canada has already made substantial public and private investments in building that network. With an estimated 240,000 additional public chargers needed by 2030, now is not the time to lose momentum.
The upcoming federal budget provides an opportunity to build on that progress.
Renewing ZEVIP with $325 million over three years would help close persistent gaps in Canada’s charging network, unlock further private investment and ensure smaller, rural and underserved communities are not left behind in the transition to electric transportation.
For Pollution Probe, the message to the federal government is clear: Canada has started building the charging network it needs. Now is the time to accelerate the work.