A clearer and more consistent pricing model for public electric vehicle (EV) charging across Canada would help overcome a major barrier to EV adoption, a December report written by Pollution Probe and Mobility Futures Lab suggests.

Titled Public EV Charging in Canada: Evolving Pricing Practices and User Experience, the Toronto-based organizations compared the public EV charging experience across the country’s provinces.

The two organizations found prices can fluctuate by province and station based on factors such as the billing method or local electricity tariffs, leading to an unpredictable, uncertain experience for EV drivers.

Refuelling at a gas station generally means “you can be pretty confident that you’re going to know what you’re going to get charged,” Cedric Smith, the director of transportation for Pollution Probe, said in an interview with Sustainable Biz Canada. “We just want to make sure that you have the same kind of consistency, transparency within the public charging network in Canada.”

To ensure the rate of EV adoption continues or increases, “public charging prices must be predictable, transparent, and consistent,” the report states. 

How consistent is public EV charging in Canada?

The report’s theme emerged from a 2024 survey in which Pollution Probe asked EV owners about the public charging experience. One of the questions was whether the pricing of public EV charging was consistent across different locations. 

The non-profit found “quite significant and consistent disagreement with that statement,” Smith said. It was particularly notable in Ontario (70 per cent) and British Columbia (67 per cent), Smith noted, while less so in Quebec (46 per cent). Pollution Probe wanted to learn why this emerged as an issue and how to address the gaps.

An answer may emerge in who operates the charging stations. In Quebec, 59 per cent of Level 2 public charging ports were in the hands of centralized utility-backed operators such as Hydro-Québec’s Circuit Électrique as of May 2025, far ahead of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and other provinces. 

Outside of Quebec, non-centralized site hosts such as businesses, municipalities and property managers dominate the operations of Level 2 charging ports.

While it is difficult to point to one reason as to why Quebecers reported the most consistent charging experience in Canada, Smith said the centralization is likely a contributing factor. 

“If you have the majority of charging stations associated with a single network, and that single network is then in position to impose a level of transparency and consistency,” he explained, “you can expect to see less variation within that province.”

Charging models can vary wildly

The diversity of pricing models is another contributor to the widely varying charging experiences across Canada.

Public EV charging stations usually bill either by the kilowatt-hour or how long the car has been plugged in. Some network operators also apply idle fees or session-based fees.

A time-based billing mode often results in owners of EVs limited to lower charging speeds paying more per kilowatt-hour than higher-powered models, the report says, contributing to an affordability problem.

Provincial regulations dictate which pricing models are used. In British Columbia and Québec, kilowatt-hour pricing is the most common. In Ontario, it is often a mix of an energy- and duration-based models.

Another problem Pollution Probe and Mobility Futures Lab found was that public EV charging prices are not always standardized or visibly displayed, unlike a gas station. Electric car drivers also often need to have several network operator apps on their phone to ensure they can access public chargers on the road, adding more hassle.

Energy-based modelling a solution

The report lays out several recommendations.

One is to ensure there is pricing consistency, transparency and accessibility across networks. One way to achieve this could be for governments, utilities and charging operators to align on practices such as adoption of kilowatt-based billing and communicating costs through on-site displays or apps, the report suggests.

“It feels fair and it does make it more easier to be consistent and transparent in terms of the charging costs,” Smith said about an energy-based pricing model.

Another suggestion is to build a national charging network under comparable pricing structures. The report urges governments to harmonize regulations that affect charger billing, infrastructure approval and electricity pricing.

If this is achieved, it will support interprovincial EV travel and remove inefficiencies, the report says.