ChargeStop Technologies Inc. will open its first electric vehicle (EV) service station today in the Edmonton neighbourhood of Strathcona, an outlet uniquely geared to the needs of EV drivers who have longer waits to refuel than those driving gas-powered vehicles.

The company's first location at 8106 99 St. NW offers five Level 3 chargers; amenities such as Wi-Fi, a lounge area and a refreshment store; and safety features like an on-site attendant and security cameras.

Founded in 2022 by CEO Tim Murphy, chief growth officer Jean-Paul Demeria, COO John Hawes and CRO Roy Lakusta, ChargeStop is headquartered in Edmonton.

Murphy, a Vancouver-based lawyer and entrepreneur, helped create ChargeStop “to address the fact that the EV charging experience is generally not good for drivers at the moment,” he told Sustainable Biz Canada in an email exchange.

He believes this is the first EV-only service station in Canada. Looking ahead, though, he plans ChargeStop locations across Canada by 2025 using a franchise model he said will “have maximum market penetration in the first few years.”

Improving the EV charging experience

As EV adoption continues to climb, more public charging stations are needed. But that requires a drastic rethinking of how to manage time while the battery is charged, which typically takes longer compared to the time required to refuel a gas-powered car.

A survey of almost 40,000 EV drivers in Canada and the U.S. by Quebec EV charging network operator FLO found just over half engage with on-site amenities while charging their vehicles. Sixty per cent said they use the downtime to eat. 

To address the charging time, the Level 3 chargers from a Canadian manufacturer will be able to power up the battery of most EVs to 85 per cent in approximately 20 minutes, ChargeStop said. Charge prices are comparable to standalone EV charger rates, Murphy added.

As drivers and passengers look to pass the time, the company also looks to improve their experience. Murphy imagined a gas station with a slow EV charger where the air is saturated with gasoline and diesel fumes, where the snack choices are unhealthy, and there is no Wi-Fi to browse the internet.

By contrast, ChargeStop will offer the ability to book a fast EV charger in advance with an app and healthier food choices like salads to purchase. Wi-Fi will be present at the station so people can watch shows over the internet.

The station will be well-lit and have security features; a survey of approximately 1,500 Canadian EV drivers by Pollution Probe found “clear signage and proper lighting to enhance user safety and experience” as a highly demanded feature.

A ChargeStop station has two configurations based on modular designs developed in-house. An express model that is approximately 800 square feet is designed for locations with a smaller footprint, while its standard format is double the size. Both can be transported by flatbed truck to their locations. The charging infrastructure is separate from the building, Murphy added.

Franchising ChargeStop

Edmonton is home to ChargeStop’s first location because most of the company’s team is in the city, and ChargeStop wanted to “start with a home-grown solution for EV charging,” Murphy said. The ambition is to expand to the rest of Canada through franchising.

The franchising model "offers franchisees the ability to leverage significant government funding programs and become involved in a high-growth segment of the service station and convenience market,” he said.

If funding from the Canadian government’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program is tapped into, the start-up fees for a ChargeStop franchisee will range between $600,000 to $800,000, Murphy explained. Profitability is expected after the second year of operation.

ChargeStop’s plan is to open, or have in development, 20 locations across Canada by the end of 2025, with an initial emphasis on B.C. and Ontario because the provinces are higher-density EV markets. The other locations are expected to have between four to six chargers depending on the property and demand.