Helpful links for BC’s new charging stations

Natural Resources Canada provides funding for level 3 charging stations (DCFCs or “fast chargers”), and has a list of projects approved for 2019. You may have seen news about BC Hydro, FortisBC, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, or even Petro-Canada opening new charging stations. Those are all part of the NRCAN funded projects.

There are several lists and maps out there, and while we don’t have any special access to project status, here are some helpful links for determining where charging stations will be and if they are open yet.

NRCAN’s list of funded projects includes addresses and the charging station operators (BC Hydro, FortisBC, etc.). You can use your browser’s find function to look for specific communities (cmd+f on Mac or ctrl+f on PC).

Keep in mind that these charging stations use CCS and CHAdeMO connections. The list does not include the Tesla Supercharger network, which also has new locations planned for BC. CHAdeMO adapters are available for Tesla vehicles including the Model 3.

Alternatively, you can see the funded projects as a map.  You’ll see several differently coloured icons and each colour corresponds to the charging station operator. There is a legend on the left side, but it may be closed when you open the link.

To see if a particular station is open, you can check your usual station finders such as PlugShare or ChargeHub. Stations that aren’t open yet might still be on PlugShare as “upcoming stations,” which may have to be turned on in your filters. However, some of the projects don’t appear on PlugShare at all yet, so the NRCAN list/map are still relevant for seeing what’s planned for your area.

Once a charging station is open, you’ll be able to click on it to see details like its network (Greenlots, Flo, etc.), charging cost, and kW charging power.

Are you new to electric vehicle charging? Check out BC Hydro’s charging guide, or send us a message at info@pluginbc.ca for advice.