The best credit cards for EV charging in Canada for 2025

FAQ about EV charging

Get solutions to often requested questions on charging electrical autos in Canada, together with charging occasions and prices, and areas of Petro-Canada charging stations.

How lengthy does it take to cost an electrical automobile?

This can be a bit like asking how lengthy it takes to fill a pool. The reply relies on the dimensions of the pool, the hose you’re utilizing and even the climate. Whereas there’s no one-size-fits-all reply, understanding a number of key elements will enable you estimate charging occasions, whether or not you’re topping up in a single day or fuelling up on a highway journey.

Charging time relies on the ability supply, the automobile’s charger and its battery dimension, and even climate circumstances:

• The facility supply: A primary family outlet might take days to replenish an EV—consider it as trickling water right into a barrel with a tiny spout. A sooner dwelling setup, like a 240-volt charger you’d use for a dryer, cuts that all the way down to just some hours in a single day. Public stations are fast-charging and are the speediest possibility. These can juice up your battery in lower than an hour.

• The automobile: Take a small battery, like in a Nissan Leaf—it’d cost absolutely in seven to eight hours with a 240-volt setup, or about an hour with a quick charger. An even bigger battery, say in a GMC Hummer EV, might take nearer to 13 hours at dwelling or round two hours with quick charging. 
• Climate: Climate can nudge these occasions a bit—chilly or sizzling days may gradual issues down—however it’s normally a minor issue. Excessive temperatures, nevertheless, can significantly improve cost time. Excessive chilly can cut back battery effectivity by round 20% to 40%. 

So, charging might vary from a fast 20 to 120 minutes at a quick station to a leisurely 5 to 13 hours at dwelling, relying in your setup and EV. 

How a lot does it value to cost and electrical automobile?

At dwelling, the place most EV house owners cost, prices tie into your electrical energy invoice. In a metropolis like Toronto, charging in a single day throughout off-peak hours may run you lower than $1 per day—round $300 a yr for the common driver. That’s a steal in comparison with a tank of gasoline. Charges range by location and time, although. The associated fee could be greater throughout peak hours and in pricier areas.

Public charging stations supply comfort however usually include a payment. Some cost by time (e.g., $0.30 per minute), some cost by power use (e.g., $0.40/kWh), and a few cost a flat fee per session (e.g., $5 to $7 for a fast increase). Power-based billing remains to be growing in Canada. Free stations exist too—you might discover them close to companies or in parks—however they’re not the norm. Quick-charging spots, like superchargers, are likely to value extra for his or her velocity, although they prevent time on the go.

The make-up of your EV issues, too. A smaller battery, like in a plug-in hybrid, prices much less to fill than a giant one in a full electrical SUV. Effectivity performs a task as effectively. Extra environment friendly fashions stretch every cost additional, trimming prices.

So, you’ll be able to anticipate a spread of costs: roughly $0.78 each day at dwelling in a metropolis like Toronto (throughout off-peak hours) to round $10 for a fast public top-up on the highway. In comparison with gas-powered autos, EVs normally win on financial savings, particularly with sensible charging habits.

EV charging stations in Canada

Petro-Canada EV charging

Petro-Canada was the primary main gasoline retailer to develop on Canada’s EV charging infrastructure. In 2019, it opened an EV charging station in Victoria, B.C., marking the completion of Canada’s Electrical Freeway, the nation’s first coast-to-coast community of quick chargers.

Extra of Canada’s greatest credit cards: