Boost for EV charging in Canada

Canada's electric vehicle industry is about to receive a major boost with the announcement of an agreement between eCAMION, based in Toronto, Dallas-based Leclanché North America, part of Switzerland's Leclanché and SGEM based in Geneva, to develop and install a network of 34 fast-charging stations along the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). The project, designed to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada, is being partially funded Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) under the Canadian Energy Inn
July 24, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Canada's electric vehicle industry is about to receive a major boost with the announcement of an agreement between eCAMION, based in Toronto, Dallas-based Leclanché North America, part of Switzerland's Leclanché and SGEM based in Geneva, to develop and install a network of 34 fast-charging stations along the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH).


The project, designed to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada, is being partially funded Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) under the Canadian Energy Innovation Program, with investment support from eCAMION, Leclanché and SGEM.

eCAMION and Leclanché have formed a Toronto-based joint venture, FAST Charge to manage the project and further expand the implementation of EV charging systems across North America.

Current EV charging systems make it difficult for drivers to travel long distances, contributing to 'range anxiety' and is one of the biggest obstacles globally to EV adoption.

The new system being developed by FAST Charge consists of an energy storage system, using large-format lithium-ion batteries, along with multiple-outlet charging units that can be charge several EVs at once.  This architecture helps overcome the slow charge issue by acting as a buffer between the grid and the vehicle and allowing EVs to be charged rapidly from the advanced lithium ion batteries instead of directly but more slowly from the grid. This will enable faster charging at Level 3 and higher, allowing EV drivers to charge their vehicles in just 20 minutes.

In addition, each charging station can be connected to a renewable energy source such as solar or wind to facilitate 100-percent emission-free driving.

Greater adoption of EVs for inter-urban travel will reduce the use of carbon-intensive fuels for transportation, which currently generates nearly a quarter of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. FAST Charge estimates that the installation of 102 charging units at 34 different locations will reduce emissions by an estimated 0.7 million tons over the first five years of operation.

The project is scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2019.

Related Content

  • April 22, 2024
    Fare-free BC – Earth Day special in Canada
    Bus passengers in the province of British Colombia are exempt from paying fares today to mark global Earth Day, according to BC Transit.
    Read More
  • September 10, 2014
    Toshiba introduces new super charge ion battery
    Electricity is in the air – and in Toshiba’s new super charge ion battery (SCiB), on display at ITS World Congress. SCiB batteries can be charged in five to 10 minutes, compared with the traditional overnight charging required for applications such as electric buses. SCiB charges even faster than current fast charge batteries, which take 30 minutes. The ultra-fast charging is possible because SCiB can tolerate a high current of 400 amps, almost three times higher than today’s normal fast charging batt
    Read More
  • June 25, 2018
    Cost benefit analysis ‘can’t be carried out with a cookbook’
    There is far more to working out the worth of a project than simply filling in a few headings on a spreadsheet. David Crawford surveys some recent thinking from the US and Canada. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) “can’t be carried out with a cookbook”, warns US analyst Professor Robert J Brent. “ You can’t just get out a spreadsheet and fill in the data for all the headings. Each transport CBA should have something that is distinctive, in terms of location (for example, for a rural area), types of user
    Read More
  • June 14, 2016
    Evolt wins a place on Scottish EV charging Framework
    Evolt, the electric vehicle (EV) charge point supplier and part of the Swarco group, has been selected by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) as one of the companies to provide EV charging solutions on a new Scotland-wide framework agreement. The new framework includes the right to tender, be selected, or quote for the installation of rapid, commercial and domestic charging units on the mainland and in the Highlands and Islands. The announcement follows a full tender and is effective immediately to an initial
    Read More

Highlighted Content