FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council (CCIC) Analysis: BC’s ZEV Act TARGETS CRITICAL TO ATTRACTING CHARGING INVESTMENT.

Toronto, March 6, 2026 –

The Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council (CCIC) conducted analysis on the drivers for public fast charging investment in BC and found that changes to BC’s ZEV Act targets could play a major role in determining whether more charging investment is justified in BC. CCIC’s submission to the BC Government on its ZEV Act review is contained below:

To:       BC Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions                          

Re:       B.C. Zero-Emission Vehicles Act and Regulation (“ZEVA”) and 2026 Engagement Paper (“Engagement Paper”)

Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council (“CCIC”) Comments

CCIC appreciates the opportunity to comment on ZEVA and the Engagement Paper.

• ZEVA plays a foundational role in supporting the business case for EV charging investment, which helps get British Columbian’s comfortable adopting EVs, which in turn helps families save money on their transportation costs and use more clean, locally produced BC electricity instead of imported and highly volatile fossil fuels.
• CCIC’s analysis shows that everything turns on the level of ambition:
  • A 35% target could lead to no or very limited justification for new public fast charging ports in BC.
  • A 55% target, by contrast will support substantial new investment.
• New investment in charging, and the resultant electrical, civil and related investments (which can easily total 50% of the capital cost of new stations) lead to good jobs in BC.

CCIC recommends the province maintain BC’s current EV leadership with at least a 55% target for 2030 and a 90% target for 2035, bolstering private investment in provincial EV charging infrastructure.

BC is an e-mobility leader: saving BC drivers money and generating economic opportunity

• BC is a global leader in electric mobility, consistently in the top five highest EV market shares across Canadian provinces and U.S. states. This includes BC’s 2026 target, which the province indicated it was on track to achieve in its Nov 2025 announcement. Data released by S&P Mobility for Q4 2025 show that BC is clearly capable of achieving these targets, and that any target below 55% would be unnecessarily lacking in ambition.
• BC has made significant progress toward its charging infrastructure goals, with nearly 8,000 public chargers already installed, positioning the province to meet or even surpass its 2030 targets ahead of schedule.
• BC Multi-Unit Residential Buildings have been able to rely on these targets to justify investment in EV infrastructure in their parking garages, supported by the best-in-class CleanBC program.
• BC municipalities have legislated advanced EV-ready bylaws, where those who own stratas have paid for the development of EV-ready infrastructure in their purchase prices.

Significantly reducing BC’s ZEV Act targets would raise questions about BC’s charging targets and reduce future investments.

• EV policy is a consumer‑affordability policy. The average Canadian family is estimated to save over $1,650 per year by adopting an EV^[1], primarily due to reduced fuel and maintenance costs. When affordability pressures are weighing heavily on British Columbians, weakening the ZEV Act would reduce access to these significant household savings for new and used buyers.
• In 2023, the BC government reported a substantial and growing ZEV‑related economy with:
  • 384 companies and organizations across the ZEV supply chain,
  • Over 8,280 full‑time equivalent jobs, and
  • Over $920 million in direct GDP contribution.

Lowering EV targets will significantly reduce fast charging investment in the province, putting the province’s 10,000 by 2030 EV charging target at risk.

• Under current policy targets, BC’s is on track to exceed its 10,000 public charger target.
• With every year of reduced EV sales, there is a compound reduction in total vehicle stock, since vehicles remain on the road for many years.
• Today, BC’s ZEV Act requires ZEVs to represent 90% of new cars sold by 2030 and 100% by 2035. This target justifies investments to deploy an additional ~1,250 new public fast charging ports between now and 2030 and ~3,000 between now and 2035.
• Changes to the targets aligned with the Clean BC Review recommendations (e.g. reducing the standard to 55% of new car sales by 2030) could result in an estimated 76% reduction in the number of new public fast charging ports between now and 2030.
• A more significant reduction in the targets (e.g. 35% of new car sales by 2030) could result in no additional build out of new public fast charging ports between now and 2030.

Leveraging market signals and BC Hydro’s core competencies will accelerate EV charging investment and increase demand for skilled trades and professional service professionals across BC.

• Clear, predictable CleanBC funding signals are critical to unlocking private investment in EV charging infrastructure. Beyond ZEVA, private sector engagement depends on clarity around when CleanBC funding will be available, when programs will be announced and sunset.
• Gaps or pauses between funding cycles, or between program opening and award decisions, can create unintended market impacts, including stalled projects, delayed procurement, and disrupted skilled trades and professional services employment, running counter to the government’s objective to accelerate clean infrastructure delivery and grow good jobs across BC.
• BC Hydro has been a key driver of British Columbia’s success in EV charging deployment, providing reliability, geographic coverage, and public confidence during the early, higher‑risk stages of market development.
• BC Hydro’s charging network serves a significant share of EV drivers and operates 111 of the highway’s 155 charging locations, ensuring province‑wide connectivity and equitable access.
• BC Hydro also administers some of the most effective workplace, home, and multi‑unit residential charging programs in the country, with the multi‑family program in particular regarded as a model of best practice.
• As the charging market is maturing, shifting from early‑adopter, higher‑risk investments to more mainstream investment, we believe BC Hydro’s role is best focused in two areas:
  • Enabling fast, predictable, and efficient grid connections to reduce timelines and uncertainty for private proponents; and
  • Acting as an enabler and accelerator of private market investment, rather than the primary owner of new charging assets (e.g., through rate reform or strategic use of BC LCFS revenues for charging incentives to continue and expand existing programs).
• This approach delivers the greatest benefit for both ratepayers and consumers, limiting unnecessary capital use for the utility while crowding in private investment and accelerating deployment at scale. All while delivering ratepayer benefits from load growth and expanded demand response assets.

• CCIC supports the province’s recommendation to lower the credit divisor from 3.5 to 3.0 to recognize the efforts of automakers that have supplied many high range ZEVs in their early compliance years.

ZEVA is tremendously important to our members. Should you wish to discuss our submission, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Travis Allan

President and CEO

Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council

Appendix: Summary Charging Station Impact Data (CCIC Modelling)

Current ZEVA targets (90% of new vehicles sold by 2030, 100% by 2035)

Scenario 1: High end of revised targets (55% of new vehicles sold by 2030, 90% by 2035)

Scenario 2: Low end of proposed targets (35% of new vehicles sold by 2030, 70% by 2035)

^[1]EMC EV Dashboard

CCIC media contact: ccic.ccir@gmail.com