Charging an electric car in Canada

The networks

Canada's charging is a mix of national networks, provincial utilities and fuel brands.

• Tesla Superchargers cover the Trans Canada and the routes between the cities.
• Circuit électrique in Quebec, Ivy in Ontario and BC Hydro in British Columbia are the provincial networks, and among the densest.
• Flo, ChargePoint, Electrify Canada and Petro Canada run fast chargers across the country, Petro Canada's along the Trans Canada itself.

Plugs

The same as the United States: NACS on Teslas, CCS1 and J1772 on most other cars, and a move to NACS under way. Chargers with both plugs are increasingly common.

Paying

Each network has an app, and Flo's card and app work across several. Bank card readers are common on new units. Prices are set by the province in some cases, and Quebec's are among the lowest anywhere.

Long drives

The Trans Canada is covered end to end, with chargers every 100 to 200 km, but often only one or two units at a stop in the prairies and northern Ontario; plan a reserve and check each stop. Winter is the other thing: expect a quarter off the range and slower charging until the battery warms. See cold weather. Plans print in kilometres, and the planner plans on CCS1 and NACS.

Find chargers

Every public site ChargeAlong knows about in Canada is on the Canada page, by state or region and town, with its plugs, its power and what drivers have said. For a long drive, the trip planner picks the stops for your car. And the road trip guide is what to do when you get to one.