Canadian Tire Corporation's EV Charging Map as of January 2020. Source: Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire’s EV Charging Network. Source: Canadian Tire Corporation

Nationwide rollout at 90 of the iconic retailer’s locations a response to rising EV sales and joins raft of other EV charging infrastructure initiatives launching in 2020

Canadian Tire has announced a significant expansion of its network of EV chargers at retail locations across Canada. In collaboration with Flo, Electrify Canada, Tesla and Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian retail giant has pledged to install 240 fast chargers and 55 Level 2 chargers at 90 Canadian Tire locations by the end of 2020.

Canadian Tire Corporation EV Charging Map as of January 2020 Source Canadian Tire Thumbnail
Click the image above to download a full-size PDF of Canadian Tire’s EV charging network map. Source: Canadian Tire Corporation

“For over 90 years we’ve helped Canadians move across this country. We see this as the next phase,” said Andrew Davies, senior vice-president, automotive, Canadian Tire Retail, during the network’s formal unveiling Wednesday at a Canadian Tire location in Toronto’s east end.

“With properties from coast to coast, the decision to install EV stations was an easy one.”

Canadian Tire currently has EV chargers installed at 21 retail locations across Canada. The company first announced a more limited expansion of that network, in partnership with Electrify Canada, in October.

Canadian Tire Retail's Senior Vice President of Automotive, Andrew Davies (L), announces the launch of 240 EV fast chargers
Canadian Tire Retail’s Senior Vice President of Automotive, Andrew Davies, announces the launch of the company’s fast charging network. On the stage from left: Louis Tremblay, CEO, FLO, Rob Barrosa, COO, Electrify Canada, and Han Dong, Member of Parliament, Don Valley North.

Davies noted at the announcement that “this is the first step in our plan past 2020”, hinting at an even larger commitment to EV charging in the decade to come.

$5-million investment

Bringing the station total to 90 by the end of this year will require the company to invest more than $5 million, Davies said, a decision he describes as “automotive environmentalism.”

Canadian Tire's new logo for electric fuel
Canadian Tire’s new logo for electric fuel

The initiative is also supported by a $2.7-million investment from Natural Resources Canada.

“The move towards more zero emission vehicles is an integral part of our transition to a clean energy future,” said Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s minister of Natural Resources. “We are giving Canadians cleaner choices on the road by investing in infrastructure from coast-to-coast.”

The chargers will be supplied jointly by FLO, Tesla and Electrify Canada. The latter, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, is the Canadian counterpart to Electrify America, which has installed over 1,500 fast chargers across the United States since 2016. Electrify Canada’s fast chargers are currently capable of charging at 350kW, or speeds of up to 30 kilometres per minute.

Welcome news

The announcement follows a series of other significant expansions to Canadian EV charging networks. In December, Petro-Canada announced the completion of its “Electric Highway” network of EV fast chargers, which are currently installed at over 40 stations between British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

Canadian Tire's Andrew Davies and Electrify Canada's Robert Barrosa initiating the first charge
Canadian Tire’s Andrew Davies (L) and Electrify Canada’s Robert Barrosa initiating the “first charge” at the Scarborough location of the launch

In late December, Tesla also activated a series of new proprietary charging stations along the Trans-Canada Highway, many of which contained Tesla’s new ultra-fast V3 250kW chargers. Nine of these chargers are hosted at Canadian Tire locations, with that number set to eventually increase.

For current or future EV drivers, the expansion of convenient and efficient charging stations is welcome news.

“Travelling a distance in an EV no longer requires extensive preplanning,” said Wilf Steimle, president of the Electric Vehicle Society, an EV owners group. “It makes it easy to get in your car and go.”

7 comments
  1. This is awesome! There’s a good chance the electricity for these charging stations is actually generated in Canada. Congrats Canadian Tire for finally selling something made in Canada!!!

  2. Honest question. How many of these are being powered by diesel generators? It would seem that the one in Thunder Bay is, and there is a ready supply of hydro electric and even solar power generated electricity here.
    If for some reason generators are necessary in an area, are carbon offsets being purchased in the program? Are the users paying for the electricity used?
    I agree with the principal behind electric cars etc, but I fail to understand if it is being implemented properly as sustainable.

    1. I thought they were powered off the grid. In some cases it’s a pay per use, sometimes the cost is absorbed by the host (hotels, malls, etc.)

    2. People who buy electric vehicles are not likely to use a diesel powered charger so that is a little suspicious. I wonder if this is some kind of microgrid to be used in the event of a power outage. Here in North Bay they have 2 level 2 chargers and soon will add 2 fast chargers that will switch to power from a natural gas generator if the hydro goes out.

  3. This is great news but please insist that FLO install chargers that are greater than 50kW as all ev’s today can charge quicker than that today!

  4. We live in Sidney B.C., and own a Smart Electric car, perfect for shopping in our small town. When we moved here 4 years ago, we had a local charger almost to ourselves. Now we have to search all over Sidney to try to find a free one. We are seniors with mobility issues, but still able to drive. Our town badly needs more chargers!

  5. If the government is subsidizing these, they should be free. Don’t make me pay to install something I’m going to have to pay to use.

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