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Industry resources for EV fast charging

BC Hydro charging station in Coquitlam taken at dawn.

Fast charging, also referred to as Level 3 charging or DC fast charging, is critical to the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). Fast chargers can charge most EVs to 80% of their battery in about 30 minutes, which means they're ideal for drivers who need to charge on the go.

We operate a growing network of fast chargers in B.C., and there are several other service networks available in the province, but the more chargers, the better.

Build a fast charging site on your property

Are you a municipality, Indigenous Nation, local government or commercial property owner that's thinking of building a public fast charger on your property? Along with our subsidiary Powertech Labs, we've been piloting and building EV fast chargers since 2013, and we've learned at lot. We're sharing our knowledge to help improve this critical public infrastructure in B.C.

Natural Resources Canada and CleanBC Go Electric offer programs that provide capital funding for building EV fast chargers, but the site selection, design, construction and operations are up to you.

If you're ready to get started with your plan – from site selection to budgeting and operations – we have resources to support you.

Follow our fast charging design guide

Fast chargers require careful planning to realize the benefits over their 10+ year life in a way that supports the Government of B.C.'s CleanBC goals.

We developed a guide to help organizations better plan for creating safe, reliable, accessible and convenient public EV infrastructure. This guide is intended for municipalities, Indigenous Nations, local governments, government organizations, commercial landowners and charger design/construction and electrical firms.

Read our EV Fast Charging Design and Operational Guidelines

What's in the guide?

The fast charging design guide linked above contains helpful information including:

  • Potential costs and revenue sources
  • Choosing a site location
  • Designing, building and maintaining a fast charging site
  • Operating a reliable network
  • Selecting contractors and equipment vendors

Share your feedback on the guide

We'd like to know what you think of the fast charging design guide. Is it helpful for you? What information is it missing? What do you think of the format?

We welcome your feedback to help us improve the guide. Please send your feedback to evservices@bchydro.com.