EVwire brief: According to Paren’s State of the Industry Report: Canadian EV Fast Charging Q4 2025, Canada’s public fast-charging network grew year-over-year in 2025, reaching 8,804 DC fast-charging (DCFC) ports, while utilization and reliability remained strong despite softer EV sales. Pricing varied significantly by province, reflecting structural differences in electricity markets and network ownership.
Quick highlights from the report:
Infrastructure continues expanding despite slower EV sales, Canada’s public fast-charging network grew +28% year-over-year in 2025.
Canada reached 8,804 DC fast-charging (DCFC) ports.
Demand is absorbing new capacity quickly
Utility-backed models remain dominant in key provinces
Pricing reflects regional electricity economics. The national average price (Q4 2025) was $0.42/kWh
Reliability remains structurally strong nationwide
Canada’s EV charging infrastructure continued to scale in 2025, even as EV sales growth slowed following changes to federal and provincial incentives. According to Paren’s nationally representative dataset (tracking more than 80% of Canadian DCFC sessions), infrastructure deployment, utilization, pricing, and reliability all point toward a maturing market.
Here are some key EV fast charging deployment trends from 2025:
+28% year-over-year growth
642 new ports added in Q4 alone
Deployment accelerated in the second half of the year
66% of Q4 ports were deployed outside the five largest CMAs
Provincial Leaders in 2025 Deployment:
British Columbia: 614 new ports
Quebec: 610 new ports
Ontario: 484 new ports
Together, these three provinces accounted for 88.7% of new ports deployed in 2025, reflecting their status as Canada’s highest-utilization EV markets.
While smaller provinces such as Nova Scotia (+49.4% YoY) and Manitoba (+27.7% YoY) posted strong growth rates. Deployment in these provinces reflect geographic coverage expansion.
Who has been building these fast chargers?
Deployment remains concentrated among large-scale operators, as seen below in the top 5 networks, which account for 76% of new ports in 2025:
Tesla: 512 new ports (26.6% of 2025 additions)
Circuit Électrique: 275
FLO: 266
BC Hydro: 232
ChargePoint: 182
Tesla remains the all-time leader (33.4% cumulative share), but its share of new 2025 deployments was lower which indicates broader market participation.
Utility-backed networks are structurally shaping Canadian deployment, particularly:
BC Hydro in British Columbia (38% of new provincial ports)
Circuit Électrique in Quebec (45% of new provincial ports)
Utilization: Demand Absorbing New Capacity
Despite rapid infrastructure expansion, average national utilization rose from 11.6% in Q3 to 11.9% in Q4 2025. This suggests demand is scaling in line with supply, even as EV sales growth cooled.
Provincial Utilization (Q4 2025):
British Columbia: 14.3%
Ontario: 13.8%
Quebec: 11.2%
Alberta: 6.3%
Saskatchewan: 2.7%
Yukon: 2.6%
Fast-charging intensity is highly concentrated in urban cores:
Vancouver: 29.8%
Toronto: 20.8%
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo: 18.5%
Montreal: 17.2%
These metros are approaching localized capacity pressure, suggesting densification will be required in 2026 and beyond.
Sessions Per Port: Network Pressure Rising
Sessions-per-port-per-day (SPPD) further highlights where demand is concentrated:
Ontario: 6.1 SPPD
British Columbia: 6.0 SPPD
Quebec: 4.5 SPPD
Lower SPPD in other provinces reflects coverage-first expansion strategies rather than weak demand.
Reliability: Structurally High Nationwide
Canada’s DC fast-charging reliability remained strong in Q4 2025.
Most provinces exceeded a 90 reliability score, including:
New Brunswick: 95.3
Ontario: 94.8
Saskatchewan: 94.8
Alberta: 94.1
Yukon posted lower reliability at 83.8, reflecting remote infrastructure challenges.
High-demand provinces like BC and Quebec showed slightly lower reliability than moderate-demand regions, which could indicate operational complexity as utilization intensifies.
EV Charging Pricing: Wide Provincial Spread
Unlike the U.S., where pricing clusters tightly, Canada exhibits significant provincial variability, where National average price (Q4 2025): $0.42/kWh
Provincial Averages:
Quebec: $0.38/kWh
British Columbia: $0.40/kWh
Ontario: $0.58/kWh
Nova Scotia: $0.60/kWh
Alberta: $0.65/kWh
Saskatchewan: $0.65/kWh
Why the Differences?
Pricing models vary structurally:
BC: 73.1% fixed per-kWh pricing
Quebec: 75.7% power-based pricing
Alberta & New Brunswick: heavy reliance on time-based pricing (75–90%)
Lower pricing in BC and Quebec reflects:
Utility-backed networks
Regulated structures
LCFS credits (in BC)
Higher share of lower-power (24–50 kW) chargers
What This Means for Canada’s EV Market
2025 confirmed that Canada’s fast-charging network is scaling, but it is not yet saturated.
The next phase of Canada’s EV charging buildout will likely shift from geographic coverage expansion toward urban densification, particularly in British Columbia and Ontario.
For deeper insights into Canada’s EV charging ecosystem, refer to the full report:
