Regulation Breakdown: Per-Kilowatt-Hour Billing for EV Chargers in Canada
As of February 2023, Measurement Canada introduced new regulations to govern how EV drivers are billed for charging at both commercial and non-commercial locations – making topping up your vehicle’s battery a more equitable process.
Prior to the new regulations drivers could only be billed for the amount of time they spent plugged in at a charger (ie: $10/hour).
The downside of this was that people who drove EVs that could only take on a charge slowly were billed more than drivers whose EVs could accept faster charging speeds. They may have been plugged in for the same amount of time, but the driver in the slower-charging car would end up paying the same money for less electricity.
This is set to change with the regulations which were announced in late 2022. Overseen by Measurement Canada under the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act, eligible charging stations are allowed to provide customers with accurate measurement and billing based on the amount of charge their vehicles take on.
Measurement Canada will work with new and existing EV charging stations that meet its technical standards to begin billing based on kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed while monitoring the latest advancements in charging here in Canada and internationally.
SWTCH’s Customer Experience Manager, Jason Cruickshank, believes that the new regulations are a change that EV drivers have been wanting for a while, though in certain situations the old time-based model may remain preferable.
“I think this is something that customers have really been looking for because there are a lot of EVs that can accept a charge at different rates and different levels of chargers that deliver that charge at different rates. There are situations where the time-based model may still be attractive, like in places that don’t want to spend money on installing measurement equipment but on the whole the per-kilowatt movement has been long awaited and it’s going to be a big improvement that will provide more equitable EV charging for all drivers.”
I want to bill by kWh at my EV charging stations – how do I get approved?
Customers who operate Level 2 and DC fast charging stations in Canada can offer kWh billing, subject to registering with Measurement Canada and meeting its specific terms and conditions.
Station owners can register by filling out this form and submitting it to Measurement Canada. There are no fees to register, and Measurement Canada’s service standards offer a response time of 30 business days for under 50 stations and 60 business days for over 50 stations.
I’m a SWTCH customer – how do I update the fee structure to bill by kWh at my EV chargers?
The SWTCH platform is fully set-up to enable billing by kWh, but in order to do so, please ensure:
- Review Measurement Canada’s specific terms and conditions..
- If eligible, apply for dispensation directly with Measurement Canada through this form.
- Once approved, share the approval along with preferred updated pricing preferences and charger address to golive@swtchenergy.com.
