Electric vehicle charging at gas stations and parking lots

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  Steps to install an EV charging station at a gas station or parking lot with 60 or more stalls

  1. Email [email protected] for pre-approval. This step is optional but highly recommended for alternative gas stations. Make sure to include:
     • Address of the gas station
     • Business licence number for the gas station
     • Address of the alternative off-site location where you plan to install your chargers, if seeking alternative compliance
     • Business licence number for the off-site location
     • Quantity and types of chargers
  2. Get an electrician or engineer to determine the electrical load and design the charging connection.
  3. If needed, request a design connection project External website, opens in new tab from BC Hydro.
  4. Have your electrician apply for an electrical permit
  5. Install chargers with minimum power output of 50kW for gas stations or with a minimum power output of 26.6kW for parking lots.
  6. Submit your verification package to [email protected] by October 1, 2025.
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  Update your business licence category: submit your verification package

  1. Submit required documents:
     • Picture of installed charging station(s) – 1 image per station if multiple stations are part of your application.
     • Proof of charger internet connectivity – A screenshot of the back-end network operating system that shows that the charging stations are connected to the network.
     • Business licence change of information form PDF file (205 KB) – A complete form to be filled out by business licence holder.
  2. Email this package of information to [email protected] with the subject “Gas station/commercial parking lot EV charging – Verification package”
  3. Receive a confirmation email within a week that your verification package has been accepted.
  4. Receive a renewal notice for your business licence category with charging in November.

  Information icon A verification package only needs to be submitted again if there are changes in following years.

Documents and resources

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  Rebate programs

  • Provincial rebate program External website, opens in new tab
  • Federal rebate program External website, opens in new tab
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  Available types of EV charging

  Levels	Range	Cost
  Level 2 (7 kW)	~30 km of range / hour charging Ideal for stays of 1 to 3 hours	~$6,000 to $14,000 per port Can typically be installed on existing electrical infrastructure (208 V - 240 V)
  DC fast charging (50-150 kW)	200-300+ km of range / hour charging Ideal for stays of 10 to 45 minutes	~$125,000 per 50 kW charger, including infrastructure upgrades Electric upgrades are typically needed Higher powered DC fast chargers are more

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  Mixed-use parking facilities

  For mixed-use parking facilities that include both commercial and residential use, the licence fee will be applied based on the number of commercial parking stalls only.

  The policy doesn't apply to residential parking because residential parking lots don't need a specific business licence to operate. So, any residential stalls in a mixed parking lot won't be included in this policy.

  For example, if a parking lot has a total of 100 stalls, and 50 of them are for residential use, then the remaining 50 commercial stalls would be considered as part of this policy. Because there are fewer than 60 stalls, the parking lot would be exempt from paying the $10,000 business licence fee.

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  Documents

  • Council report (June 2024) PDF file (178 KB)
  • Council report (September 2023) PDF file (83.9 KB)
  • Council report (May 2022)