ChargeStop, an EV-only service station concept, is opening the country’s first service station fully dedicated to electric vehicles in Edmonton today.
Driving the news: The futuristic EV station aims to offer an 85% charge for most EVs in as little as 20 minutes, an app-based booking and payment system, and modern amenities including a convenience store, WiFi, comfortable seating areas, and clean washrooms.
- The industry has been trying to nail down a reimagined concept for EV charging for years. Back in 2021, Electric Autonomy even ran a design contest with this goal.
Why it matters: Range anxiety is the top reason Canadians hesitate to go electric. While Ottawa is investing $768 million to install about 90,000 chargers by 2027, a report from last year showed that only a fifth of the 43,000 chargers that have been paid for are operational.
Zoom out: Meanwhile, slowing consumer adoption has forced automakers to put EV plans on the back burner. Ford will delay making EVs at its Oakville factory, Mercedes pushed its goal of 50% EV sales by 2025 to 2030, and Toyota cut its EV production plans for 2026 by a third.—LA