Article content continued

“But this way, you can charge multiple vehicles at a time, without stressing the grid.”

The battery sources would be recharged during off-peak times, according to the companies. Urban also said several stations will be outfitted with solar panels to recharge the battery.

“This is perhaps the largest infrastructure project for electrical vehicles to be deployed at one time anywhere in the world,” said Elad Barak, VP business development of eCAMION, in a statement.

Urban said the exact locations for the 34-charging stations will be determined later this year. Production on the charging stations is expected to start early next year, followed by installation some time in the spring.

Electric vehicle drivers will have to pay a fee to access the stations. Urban said how that usage fee is calculated is still being determined.

There were more than two-million electric vehicles on roads around the world in 2016, according to a report released by the International Energy Agency last month. According to the report, China is the largest electric car market in the world, with 336,000 new electric cars registered in 2016 alone, but it represents a mere 1.37 per cent of the country’s total car market.

Meanwhile, Canada is behind China, Norway and the other leading nations in the electric vehicle market. In 2016, 11,580 electric vehicles were sold in Canada, or just 0.59 per cent of the total car market.

The federal government has created an advisory panel aimed at raising the number of zero-emission vehicles on Canada’s roads. The panel, which includes experts from the auto industry, non-governmental organizations and both provincial and federal governments, will focus on developing a national strategy for electric vehicles by 2018.