Electric vehicle charging locations and estimated costs

Before driving an electric vehicle, it’s natural to want to know the estimated annual cost of charging it. Find out about the different charging situations and their associated costs.

Most electric vehicle owners charge their vehicles at home. This type of charging can account for over 80% of a vehicle’s annual charging needs. 

This is the most common and economical charging solution.

Estimated cost of home charging

You can estimate an additional $300 to $400 per year on your electricity bill for charging a fully electric vehicle at home—based on an assumption of 20,000 kilometres driven annually, with 85% of charging done at home.

The cost varies based on vehicle model and battery characteristics.

Multiple dwelling

If you live in a multiple dwelling building, you may not have access to a parking space equipped with a charging station. 

Check with your building manager to see if there are plans to install charging stations or at least upgrade electrical infrastructure to allow for their installation. If not, consider making a request. Government financial assistance is available for this type of project.

Public charging stations are becoming increasingly common in public places, both in major urban centres and outside these areas. 

In addition to on-street parking and parking garages, you can see them in the parking lots of: 

• shopping centres;
• restaurants;
• grocery stores;
• cinemas and theatres;
• tourist attractions and recreational parks;
• hotels and resorts. 

Top-off or full charge

Charging your electric vehicle for an hour or two at a standard Level 2 public charging station will be enough to recover sufficient energy to drive an additional 40 to 80 kilometres.

You can use these stations to charge your vehicle while enjoying a good meal or a movie. You’ll spend the day in a recreational park, with the assurance that you’ll have enough range for the ride home.

And if you’re spending the night away from home, at a hotel or resort, you’ll probably have access to a public or occupant-only charging station, enabling you to fully charge your vehicle.

Estimated cost of charging at a Level 2 terminal

Charging your vehicle at a Level 2 terminal in a public place will cost you a few dollars. 

Using a Level 2 public charging station costs between $0 and $5 per hour. Charging time is billed per hour or per minute, depending on the station owner’s pricing policy.

You can estimate the cost of charging in public places based on your activities and situation: 

• If you have a home charging station, a budget of $30 to $50 a year could be enough to cover the cost of these top-off charges.
• If you don’t have a private charging station at home, you’ll be using the public charging stations in your area more frequently. In this case, you should plan for a larger budget.

If you’re planning a long trip, you’ll probably need to charge your battery quickly on the way to make it to your destination. 

Public charging stations are often located along major roads. You’ll find them here: 

• next to gas stations;
• in restaurant parking lots;
• at highway service areas or fast-food outlets. 

These charging stations often provide: 

• Level 2 charging stations;
• Fast-charging stations, also known as DCFCs (short acronym for “direct current fast chargers”), which offer higher charging speeds. 

Refer to Find public charging stations to learn more about the charging networks installed in Québec and the public charging station maps.

There are currently several fast-charging points in Québec and their number will grow to 6,700 by 2030.

Hydro-Québec’s Electric Circuit currently operates the largest number of fast-charging stations in Québec, with nearly 60% of DCFC stations.

Tesla’s network of charging stations, known as Superchargers, are equipped with NACS connectors that are mainly compatible with Tesla vehicle models. Recently, other vehicle models have also become compatible with these devices.

To track the number of public charging points in Québec, consult the interactive dashboard (in French only).

Estimated cost of charging at a fast-charging station

Electric vehicle drivers charge their vehicles for an average of 30 minutes at a fast-charging station. The aim is to charge the battery sufficiently to continue to the destination or to the next stop. 

The cost of fast charging varies based on:

• the station network used and its pricing structure;
• the power of the charging station;
• your battery’s charge capacity and characteristics;
• your battery’s initial and final charge levels;
• the energy actually consumed. 

The cost of a fast charge can be estimated at between $15 and $30.

For example, if you use an Electric Circuit fast-charging station, the cost of your charge is based on the amount of electricity supplied: 

• The rate varies between $0.37 and $0.61 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), depending on the station’s wattage.
• When your battery’s charge level exceeds 90% of its capacity, or if the power supplied is less than 10 or 20 kilowatts (kW), an hourly rate is added to the initial cost. 

For fast-charging stations on other networks, billing is mainly based on the amount of electricity consumed (in kilowatt-hours), but in some cases it may also be based on time (hourly rate).  

The term “charging orphans” refers to EV drivers who do not have access to a private charging station at their residence.

If you are in this situation, you can still consider purchasing an electric vehicle. Public charging stations may fully meet your charging needs without significantly impacting your budget!

• Depending on your driving habits, you may only need to charge your vehicle once a week.
• Find public charging stations (Level 2 or fast-charging stations) located near your residence.
• Check for charging options at your workplace or nearby. Some employers offer this service to their employees.

Encourage your municipality or employer to install charging stations for staff, customers, or fleet vehicles. Financial assistance is available from the Gouvernement du Québec for this type of project.

Estimated charging cost

If you do not have a private charging station, you can estimate an annual cost of approximately $650 to charge a fully electric vehicle, assuming: 85% of charging is done at a Level 2 public charging station, 15% of charging is done at a DC fast-charging station (based on 20,000 kilometers driven per year)