Kunal D'souza had to park a Kia EV9 test vehicle on an angle taking up two spots just to be able to charge at a Tesla Supercharger in Cobourg, Ont. It is a problem for many vehicles because of the short Tesla cables.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
For the past eight years, I have been using public chargers to charge various test electric vehicles and, over that time, little has changed in terms of the process. Sure, there are about 15 times more chargers, but there are also way more EVs and the majority of chargers continue to be the slower, Level 2 ports. In addition, the process has always been complicated and time-consuming, involving numerous apps and luck that the port is actually working.
But during my last few road trips and tests, I’m starting to see a significant change. There are still issues though, most notably, the short Tesla cables.
EV charging and battery technology have advanced rapidly, and new communication protocols, such as plug and charge, are creating a more user-friendly charging experience. The adoption of the Tesla NACS (North American Charging Standard) port by many major automakers has also greatly increased the number of charging stations available to non-Tesla vehicles.
According to Electric Autonomy Canada, access to public charging stations increased by 24 per cent between March, 2024 and March, 2025. Also, access to faster Level 3 charging ports increased by 27 per cent. (Level 3 ports are the closest equivalent, time-wise, to replicating the experience of pumping gas.
There has also been an influx of federal and provincial funding to expand charging networks in Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, providing powerful fast chargers to Canadians living in more rural and remote areas of the country.
Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) pledged more than $5-million in federal funding to install 157 Level 2 and 3 chargers throughout Atlantic Canada, with the bulk in Nova Scotia.
Manitoba is developing a network of six high-powered fast chargers between Winnipeg in the south and Thompson in the north. Further west, there’s a proposal for 24 sites providing 96 charging points covering areas from northern B.C. to southern Alberta.
Charging technology has also improved in the last couple of years with the proliferation of ISO 15118, a new vehicle-to-grid (V2G) communication protocol, known as plug and charge. It’s a communication interface, jointly developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), that allows an EV and a charger to talk to each other.
By exchanging digital certificates, charging begins immediately using the payment information already associated with the car. It requires no input from the driver, no apps to navigate and credit card information to enter. It’s even easier than filling up at a gas station.
Plug and charge is creating a more seamless EV charging experience. Still, not every car company is using it even though the protocol was first released in 2014.
Tesla has used its own proprietary communication protocol, similar to plug and charge, since 2012, developed to work with its network of Superchargers. More recently, manufacturers such as Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, Lucid and BMW have been incorporating plug-and-charge technology into their EVs.
Charging speeds are still a limiting factor
EV drivers are still limited by the speed of the charger, the type of EV they drive and other factors such as battery temperature and the weather. Thankfully, there have been some improvements with these issues in recent years, other than the weather of course.
For instance, thermal management systems, software and battery warmers, which can all help improve range, are becoming more common. Nissan has taken these measures with the new Leaf and the company claims that its estimated range of 488 kilometres is “real-world.”
EVs with 800-volt electrical systems have thinner wiring and batteries that stay cooler for longer periods, enabling faster charging. Vehicles with this technology, such as Porsche and Hyundai, can charge at speeds of up to 330 kilowatts provided they are connected to a charger capable of that output. While other factors are at play, in my experience, charging EVs with 800-volt systems is significantly faster.
Recently, I saw speeds of more than 200 kilowatts when charging a Kia EV9, and that was without pre-warming the battery. Even past 80-per-cent charge, when most EVs throttle charging speeds, those with 800-volt systems are consistently faster.
NACS at Ivy
As more car companies in North America adopt the Tesla NACS port, Volkswagen being the latest, access to public chargers has improved tenfold, adding a massive 2,362 Level 3 plugs split between 237 stations across Canada. It’s the largest charging network in the country by a long shot and new EVs such as the Nissan Leaf I drove last month have one fitted as standard. The Leaf also had plug and charge, which meant that I could pull up to just about any public fast charger in Canada and start charging immediately.
Some charging stations have also adopted NACS connectors such as the Ivy charger I pulled up to at an Onroute in Port Hope, Ont. One side had a CCS and the other an NACS. Both were capable of charging as fast as 240 kilowatts, provided your EV has an 800-volt electrical system.
The problem with Tesla superchargers
Having access to all the supercharger stations is a gamechanger, especially for anyone planning on taking a road trip in their EV, but there’s an issue. The cables are too short, designed obviously to work with only Teslas, so depending on where the charge port is located on an EV, it can be a challenge to plug in. I had to park the EV9 diagonally at a Tesla Supercharger in Cobourg, taking up two spots to connect it, much to the annoyance of the Tesla driver beside me. A Mustang Mach-E I saw earlier had to do the same.
It’s not perfect yet, but I’m finally seeing progress in our charging infrastructure and, hopefully, it’s only going to get better from here.