There are now more than 1,000 public charging stations in B.C. BC Hydro currently operates 70 fast chargers located along B.C.'s major highways. And if you've traveled out of province, you'll probably have noticed public charging is becoming much more common right across North America.
Find public EV charging anywhere with PlugShare
Most public charging stations are easy to find via PlugShare, a smartphone app and website. You can quickly use PlugShare's filters (network and plug type) to zero in on the stations that work best for you and your vehicle.
PlugShare is the most comprehensive, up-to-date tool for finding charging stations wherever you are, from here in B.C. and across North America, Europe and Asia. Electric vehicle (EV) owners can add, review and edit station information – and even safely share their private charging station at home with the other drivers.
PlugShare's helpful maps include colour-coded station icons to highlight which stations are public Level 2 or fast charging, and often include valuable crowd-sourced information such as whether a station is not working, or detailed directions for on-site navigation in large parkades or parking lots.
Join a service network for more flexibility
While the majority of B.C.'s public Level 2 charging stations are free to use, many require drivers to join a service network to access the stations. Once you've registered with a network, you'll be sent a member card which you can scan at the charging station you want to use. Some networks' stations can also be accessed using a smartphone app or a credit card. And obviously, if you register with multiple networks, you get access to more charging stations.
Currently, there are six main networks in B.C.:
- BC Hydro EV
- ChargePoint
- Flo
- Greenlots (for fast chargers)
- Petro-Canada
- Tesla (for Tesla vehicles)
Get the BC Hydro EV app
Whichever network(s) you choose, it’s also worth downloading and registering with BC Hydro's own mobile app, BC Hydro EV. It covers most BC Hydro network stations across the province, and will soon cover them all, including Greenlots.