PUBLIC CHARGING STATIONS: CHARGING BY THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY RATHER THAN BY THE DURATION

By Anne Bourgoin

The North American public charging station industry is now charging by the kilowatt-hour, rather than by charging time. More transparent and equitable, this measure also makes the cost of fast charging more predictable. The Québec government is also keen to move ahead with public charging stations, and is working on amending the regulation governing rates for use of the public fast-charging service for electric vehicles.

Being billed by the kilowatt-hour means paying for the amount of energy obtained at the charging station. What seems obvious is subject to a very rigorous process in Canada when it comes to paying for a product according to its quantity. Measurement Canada^[1] has to establish specific standards to protect the consumer, since these simply didn’t exist before in the EV charging sector.

^[1] Measurement Canada is a federal agency responsible for ensuring accuracy in the sale of measured goods, developing and enforcing measurement accuracy legislation, approving and inspecting measuring devices, and investigating complaints of suspected inaccurate measurement.