BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
BCIT receives funding to increase electric vehicle awareness in underserved communities

BCIT Applied Research has received $300,000 from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)'s Education and Awareness Project Funding to support national and regional electric vehicle awareness initiatives, including in underserved communities.

This funding is part of a recent $97 million investment announced by The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, to support 155 projects that advance the transition to clean transportation across Canada.

"Canada is driving the shift to clean transportation for the future with new EV chargers opening every month that help Canadians choose electric with confidence, funding that boosts competitiveness and lowers emissions for Canadian fleets, and education projects that build the skills and capacity to adopt EVs," said The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. "Canada's new National Charging Infrastructure Strategy will build on this progress by accelerating private investment and removing barriers for EV infrastructure, supported with a major new federal investment in EV charging."

The funding for BCIT will support one of the 30 educational and awareness projects designed to increase public and industry knowledge and confidence related to EVs, EV charging, and clean fuels. These projects promote awareness, education, skills training and capacity-building activities to enable greater adoption of EVs and clean fuels in all regions of the country.

"This investment in BCIT's Charging Forward project is about making sure everyone can participate in Canada's clean transportation future," said Wade Chang, MP for Burnaby Central. "By expanding access to EV education and hands-on experience in underserved, rural, northern, Indigenous, and disability communities, we're helping ensure the transition to clean transportation is inclusive, practical, and community-driven."

"This investment from NRCan reflects the important role that BCIT applied research and education play in addressing Canada's pressing challenges," explained Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, BCIT President. "BCIT researchers and faculty work closely with government and industry to deliver practical solutions that help build stronger, cleaner communities across BC and beyond."

Empowering Underserved Communities Through Equitable ZEV Education

The $300,000 investment that BCIT is receiving will support the Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team (SMART) in their project Charging Forward: Empowering Underserved Communities Through Equitable ZEV Education. The project will engage people with disabilities, and people in underserved areas, including northern, rural, and Indigenous communities, through targeted education and outreach. The goal is to build knowledge, confidence, and hands-on experience with EVs and EV charging technology. This project brings together expertise from across BCIT including the Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team (SMART), MAKE+ applied research team, School of Transportation and Applied Research Liaison Office (ARLO).

"This project demonstrates the strength and breadth of applied research at BCIT," shared Dr. Justin Williams, "Associate Vice President Academic, BCIT. "It brings together a team from across the institution, mobilising research, faculty and teaching expertise into practical outcomes that will benefit underserved communities and help Canada make the transition to clean transportation."

A decade of EV research mobilised

The Charging Forward project is built on over 10 years of research into EV's and EV infrastructure by BCIT Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team (SMART).

SMART has conducted multi-year applied research projects focusing on EV's and EV charging infrastructure. Through this work, the team has gone beyond the technology to focus on real-world EV adoption, looking at how people charge and where, where charging fits into daily life especially in northern and rural areas, and how infrastructure is used by different people with different abilities. Projects like Fueling Change and EV Charging Accessible for All have explored barriers to adoption, including cost perceptions, range anxiety, access to chargers, accessibility, usability, and lack of familiarity and confidence in EVs and EV infrastructure.

Through a series of events and outreach targeted to underserved communities, the Charging Forward project will build directly on this research moving from generating evidence to mobilising what has been learned.