Locations
A $194-million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to Jolt will support up to 1,500 new electric vehicle (EV) chargers across Canada, helping the Australia-based company meet its goal of having up to 5,000 by 2043.
“We need large amounts of charging across cities in Canada . . . The funding helps us to accelerate that and deploy faster; more chargers in more locations,” Doug McNamee, CEO and founder of Jolt, told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.
Planned to be installed in the major urban cores of Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary to start, Jolt will take the next five years to find sites and operate the chargers in high-traffic areas such as the curbside of shopping malls.
Unlike most EV charging operators, Jolt allows drivers to access up to seven kilowatt-hours of charge per day (approximately 50 kilometres of range) for free with its ad-based freemium model. The charging terminals resemble street billboards which display promotions specialized for each user. Once the free charge is used, drivers then pay for a charge.
Jolt will be substantially ramping up its presence in Canada from the three chargers it currently operates in the Toronto area.
Jolt charges ahead in Canada
The funding from the Canada Infrastructure Bank complements Jolt’s goal of installing up to 5,000 chargers, a plan it is executing with the help of Telus. The telecom company is providing the power and Wi-Fi for Jolt’s charging terminals.
Jolt is also assisting the Canadian government in meeting its goal of adding more public EV chargers. One analysis cited by Jolt suggests 200,000 will be needed by 2030.
Contrary to some expectations, urban cores are under-served by EV charging companies, McNamee said, which is why Jolt is prioritizing Canada’s largest cities. With more fast chargers (the free charge takes about seven minutes) and its freemium model, the company looks to address range anxiety, an often-cited reason why some are reluctant to drive and own an EV.
“Needing dense, reliable charging infrastructure in these areas actually unlocks a huge amount of people to transition to EVs,” he said.
To guarantee the chargers are providing low-carbon electricity, Jolt is collaborating with third parties to ensure the energy flowing to its chargers is clean, McNamee said. If the electrical grid is not clean enough, Jolt will return the amount of energy its chargers used with an equivalent amount of clean electricity, using green certificates purchased from utilities.
By end of 2025, Jolt will have an additional 50 chargers in Canada — mostly in Toronto, with some in Alberta and B.C. The loan will be financing some of the 50, McNamee said.
Jolt not reliant on government policies
Jolt has a global presence, with charging infrastructure installed in its home country of Australia and the neighbouring New Zealand, as well as the U.K. and the U.S.
Canada is an easy market for Jolt, McNamee said, because it resembles Australia in population density, high renewables penetration, governance, culture and driving behaviour.
But the U.S. has been a particular sticking point in the EV transition under the administration of President Donald Trump, who has acted on his opposition to electric transportation by ordering states to halt funding for EV chargers, withholding billions in funding for public charging, and reversing course on EV adoption targets set by the previous presidency.
Jolt does not expect political shifts in the U.S. or the end to the federal EV rebate in Canada to drastically impact its plans. Supportive government policies are nice to have, but are not the ultimate driver of EV demand, he said.
“We have a through-cycle view that EVs are gonna be best for the consumer, and that the consumer is gonna drive outcomes to make sure that they can get the cars.”
McNamee argues EV charging infrastructure is a long-term business, and companies in the sector have to be looking ahead to 2035 and 2040, not the time span of four-year political terms.
“Various administrations are gonna have various incentives or not. We have this view that long-term, the best cars from the best car makers will be electric, and they will be the ones that consumers will want to buy.”
Industry Events
Vancouver Convention Centre
Locations
