In the final episode of Electric Autonomy‘s National Discussion Series, experts strategize about advancing EV charger uptake in Indigenous communities

Nationtalk: Electric Autonomy Canada: Setting up electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Indigenous communities presents unique challenges. But overcoming them is imperative from an equity standpoint and to create an efficient and accessible charging network across Canada. 

Electric Autonomy looked at the issues at play in the final episode of its National EV Charging series.

Panel members included Dawn Lambe, an economic policy analyst in the Anishinabek Nation; Daniel Hartley, president of Powertech; Jessica Tait, sustainable transportation lead at Indigenous Clean Energy; and Julie Dabrusin, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

Electric Autonomy‘s Fleets Knowledge Hub is the presenting sponsor of the episode.

The group highlighted various barriers, such as challenges in navigating funding opportunities, addressing existing location and infrastructure limitations, a lack of human resource capacity and structural obstacles like inadequate internet connectivity and access to reliable power sources.

To overcome these barriers, some possible solutions were recommended by the experts. These included enhancing the communication strategy between all levels of government and communities; streamlining and providing flexibility in funding programs; educating and training local community members to maintain and operate EVs and charging infrastructure effectively; and exploring ideas such as leveraging existing gas station infrastructure to support the business case for EV chargers and attract customers. 

To get the full insights from the panelist, you can watch the complete discussion below.

Links to the reports referenced by the panelists are available here.