In a milestone for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, Arctic Canada has achieved 100% charging capacity, with 34 public charging stations supporting seven electric vehicles in the region. Blacklock's Reporter says this makes Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut the first region in Canada to achieve this feat."The department understands the importance of ensuring there is sufficient public charging infrastructure and is taking steps to understand and address needs, including in northern and remote areas," wrote the Department of Natural Resources to the Senate national finance committee.While the region's vast size (3.9 million square kilometers, six times the size of France) presents challenges, the department's efforts have ensured that the 34 charging stations are strategically located to support local travel. “There are currently 34 public electric vehicle chargers in the territories to service the seven electric vehicles representing a ratio of less than one electric vehicle to charger,” wrote the department. “This indicates the number of public chargers have available have capacity to support electric vehicle adaptation for local travel. Furthermore chargers are found in the same areas as the battery electric vehicles except for Nunavut, where all the cars are plug-in hybrid cars.”This achievement is significant, given the low take-up of electric cars in Canada. According to a 2022 natural resources department study, shortages of public charging stations were identified as a major factor. However, with the government's investment of $680 million in subsidizing charging stations and a total program cost of at least $99 billion, the infrastructure is being built out.Despite this, many Canadians remain hesitant to adopt electric vehicles. A study found that only 5% of Canadians own or lease an electric vehicle, and 66% have never ridden in or driven one. Canadians registered 1.7 million new motor vehicles last year, according to a March 12 Statistics Canada report New Motor Vehicle Registrations. A total 1.2 million were gasoline-powered. Only 98,589 were battery powered electrics with 60% of registrations in Québec and British Columbia, two provinces that offer the most generous subsidies.
