Canadian Tire has announced it is expanding its network of charging facilities for electric vehicles, with the addition of close to 300 additional chargers at 90 new chargingstations across the country by the end of 2020. The retailer provides a simple rationale for the decision: because “the popularity of electric vehicles is on the rise.”
The company is working together with FLO, the Volkswagen Group’s Electrify Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Tesla to install 240 new Level 3 quick-charging outlets, as well as 55 Level 2 outlets, at 90 of its stores.
On a rapid-charge outlet, it is generally possible to completely (or almost) recharge a vehicle’s battery pack in about 30 minutes. On a Level 2 outlet, a full charge can take anywhere between two and 10 hours, but one hour will usually suffice to provide motorists with enough juice to get home, say.
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“Automotive is a heritage business for Canadian Tire and we have always evolved to meet the needs of drivers. With our premium real estate assets, we are able to provide convenient locations across the nation to service the growing number of EV vehicles in Canada.”
- Andrew Davies, senior vice-president of automotive for Canadian Tire Retail
Once the expansion work is completed, Canadian Tire’s network will be one of the biggest in the country. None of the companies involved in the project has provided figures regarding the costs involved, but representatives of the federal government did say its investment amounts to $2.7 million to build 54 EV charging outlets, mostly in central and western Canada in an effort to stimulate sales of electric vehicles in those regions.
That money is coming in part out of the budget of Natural Resources Canada. British Columbia is also putting in $275,000 via its Clean Energy Vehicle Public Fast Charging program.