The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is providing Northland Utilities with up to $300,000 to support installing two public electric vehicle (EV) fast-charger stations in Yellowknife.
This investment in charging infrastructure will make buying EVs more viable for NWT residents, as it increases public access to this infrastructure and allows Northerners and visitors to charge EVs. This investment, combined with the recent announcement of a fast-charging station in Behchokǫ̀, are the first steps in establishing an EV charging corridor between Yellowknife and the Alberta border, as committed to under the 2030 Energy Strategy.
The two public fast-charger stations will consist of Level 3 chargers and will be the first fast-chargers installed in Yellowknife. One station will be located at the Northland Utilities office on 481 Range Lake Road. The other station will be located in the parking lot of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Both stations are expected to be completed and in use by March 31, 2023.
The GNWT has also stated that the EVs across the city, as well as their charging stations, will still be a viable option during the extreme cold of the winter months. While it is true that cold decreases battery range, it will not prevent you from using your EV for day-to-day tasks—especially since our communities are not as big as the ones these cars were designed for. Standard gasoline powered vehicles also experience a small drop in performance quality during the winter months.
Plans are currently in place to install more EV charging stations between Yellowknife and the Alberta border, creating a so-called “EV charging corridor.” The installation of EV charging stations in Yellowknife and Behchoko ̨ is the first step in the development of this corridor. The GNWT will be working to install more stations along the route over the coming years.
