Following up on an interview with CBC Radio One’s On The Go
Charging woes in Canada’s most EV-laggard province
One driver’s 90-minute wait at a charger in Goobies could be just the start. The tangly story of how long distance EV charging in Newfoundland could come unplugged
Welcome new NL visitors to this free site and newsletter for Canadian consumers with EVs or thinking about them — If you heard my interview with Anthony Germain on CBC On The Go, you’ve come to the right place.
Researching why Jordan Johnson told the media had to wait 90 minutes to be able to charge his vehicle on the fast charger network in Newfoundland and Labrador led in some surprising directions.
Before digging into the details in other stories below, I’ll briefly outline for non-EV owners why this issue, unpleasant as it was for Jordan, should be seen as an unfortunate but small-scale and preventable glitch, not evidence that EVs are unworkable (or unworkable in this province).
As I explained in my interview, charger wait times are still rare — I have driven the length of the province four times now and was only stuck behind another charger user twice. There are still only about 600 vehicles in NL, and typical EV users rarely need to use the highway chargers — they start the day fully charged at home and as long as they drive within their range, they can recharge back to full at night. If they can also charge at work, it’s even easier. A range of 400km or more is quite common for new EVs and is always rising, while most Canadian drivers drive between 60 and 100km a day.
Even when driving longer distances and when there are problems with the existing network, careful drivers can often work around it. The provincial highway fast charger network uses Chargepoint so users can log in and see if a charger is working or if it is currently in use. They can even join a “waitlist” to indicate they are on the way to one. For other chargers, Plugshare performs a similar function. For drivers in the NE Avalon area there are fast chargers at Galway, Paradise and Holyrood so far (with more planned), so if you need to you can always go a few minutes out of your way to an alternative. As a rule, drivers should aim to be able to drive not just to their target charger but to the one after it in their journey, just in case.
The utilities that run the highway network know exactly how long charges take and how busy their chargers are. A representative of NL Hydro which co-runs their TakeCharge highway network told me, “while some of our most popular stations have seen congestion on peak travel days, the network remains accessible for the majority of EV travelers. We will continue to monitor station usage and will look to make future investments in popular areas of the province”.
But…
(and this is where the story started) there are early signs that the network does need further investment, and it is not at all clear if the utilities will be allowed to make it or if anyone else will step forward in their place. That may explain why despite a vague commitment to expand, and the problems already starting to emerge, NL Hydro admitted they “don’t have any formal expansion plans, including timelines or locations, for the fast charging network”.
Update (23 Feb 2023): I initially considered a series of articles including an analysis of potential short term problems in NL’s infrastructure and on what response might be needed but partly in response to this article and interview a lot has changed.
Briefly, the man who appears to be chiefly responsible for the question mark over further charging network investment by the utilities, Dennis Browne, came forward and described his reasons for opposing it for the wider public. NL’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Bernard Davis, responded and assured listeners that there are provincial plans for expanding the charging network that are independent of the actions of the utilities.
In light of this and other information, I have decided it would be premature to analyse possible problems and detail suggestions for changes in provincial policy and regulations until the plans the minister alluded to become public. Meanwhile though, and in light of the arguments advanced by Dennis Browne and the public, I have written an explainer on the reasons that even those who don’t have or intend to get an EV should be willing to help provide one — with both general points and points that relate specifically to the situation in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As usual, I will also respond here to readers and to any of the organizations involved who wish to comment.
