Electric vehicle drivers in northern Ontario may soon find it easier to travel the Trans-Canada Highway.

Petro-Canada broke ground this week on battery charging stations in Thunder Bay and Ignace, with another coming to Nipigon in the near future, while electric vehicle company Tesla has stations planned in Espanola, Sault Ste. Marie and Terrace Bay.

Devin Arthur, with the Greater Sudbury Electric Vehicle Association says it looks like the two companies are in a race for market dominance.

"It will be interesting, for sure, to see who can complete the Trans-Canada first," Arthur said. "Healthy competition is always good and to see this in the electric vehicle industry is pretty exciting."

Arthur said a cross-Canada trek is difficult by electric vehicle, with the number of charging stations in the north sporadic, at best.

"Right now if you're travelling across Canada, unfortunately, once you get to Sudbury you have to go to the states to get out west, or vice versa," Arthur said."

The Ministry of Natural Resources is providing part of the funding for a number of the battery charging stations, paying up to $50,000 toward the cost of installing some of them.