The Canadian government plans to extend the life of its flagship electric-vehicle charging program with $587 million in fresh funding as part of its 2026 budget.
Ottawa said renewed support for the Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) will back the installation of 55,000 chargers between fiscal 2027/28 and 2032/33, fueling much-needed charging network growth as more drivers go electric.
Primarily targeting public EV charging developments, ZEVIP covers up to 50 per cent of project costs, to a maximum of $2 million. It was originally rolled out in 2019 but set to lapse in 2027 without fresh investment.
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Since launching, ZEVIP has supported the installation of 58,874 chargers across Canada, including stations that are already operational and those expected to be by 2029.
Canada’s limited charging infrastructure continually ranks among the chief impediments to wider EV adoption. Just 7.4 per cent of the new vehicles sold in Canada in the second quarter of 2026 were battery electric, according to Statistics Canada.
Along with the renewal of ZEVIP, the federal budget, tabled in Ottawa Nov. 5, includes a $45-million commitment to charger research and development, aimed at bringing cheaper and more reliable EV infrastructure to market.
