Federal Support for New Refuelling Options for Highway Drivers in Kelowna
Press Release
From: Natural Resources Canada
June 29, 2023
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced funding in HTEC to install a hydrogen refuelling station located at a 7-Eleven/ESSO, off the Trans-Canada Highway in Kelowna, B.C.
By installing hydrogen infrastructure, the HTEC is leading the way in providing drivers with more options to support the decarbonization of the transportation sector. Fuel switching to hydrogen is an important early opportunity outlined in the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada.
More Canadians are choosing to transition to ZEVs each year, with access to wider model and infrastructure availability. Canadians are encouraged to test drive a ZEV and to learn more about the vehicle purchase or lease incentives available to them and their businesses. These incentives will help them to make the switch to a zero-emission vehicle and save money on fuel. Together, we can continue to make sustainable choices today to safeguard the planet for future generations.
Today’s announcement represents a federal investment of $1 million provided through NRCan’s Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment, which supports the establishment of a coast-to-coast fast-charging network for electric vehicles, natural gas stations along key freight corridors and hydrogen stations in metropolitan centres. Additional funding was provided by HTEC and the Canadian Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association.
Earlier this week, Ministers Wilkinson and Osborne, and First Nations partners, announced a groundbreaking Collaboration Framework outlining key areas of collaboration and a range of action items to be pursued. Minister Wilkinson also announced over $100 million in federal and provincial investments to advance British Columbia’s low-carbon economy.
Quotes
“We’re giving Canadians cleaner transportation options to get to where they need to go by making zero-emission vehicle charging and refuelling infrastructure more accessible. Investments like the ones announced today in British Columbia will put Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals.”
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources
“This station is a significant milestone for HTEC and for the hydrogen industry in Canada, specifically B.C. We are proud to open our Kelowna station and continue to fuel the drive to hydrogen in British Columbia’s interior. We are grateful to Natural Resources Canada for supporting the transition to a low-carbon future in the country. As we expand our network of hydrogen fuelling stations in the province and across Canada, partnerships are key, and we are pleased to again have worked with 7-Eleven Canada to give zero-emission drivers more fuelling options.”
Colin Armstrong
HTEC President and CEO
Quick facts
- The Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) Program provides incentives of up to $5,000 toward the purchase or lease of an eligible vehicle. The iZEV Program has been extended to March 2025 and many different makes and models of vehicles are eligible under the program, including cars, vans and SUVs.
- To date, more than 210,000 incentives to purchase or lease a zero-emission vehicle have been provided to Canadians and Canadian businesses under the iZEV Program.
- To help more Canadian businesses make the switch to a ZEV, the Incentives for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles (iMHZEV) Program provides incentives of up to $200,000 for Canadian businesses toward the purchase or lease of an eligible vehicle. The federal iMHZEV incentives can be combined with provincial or territorial incentives to make these commercial vehicles even more affordable. Trucks, cargo vans, shuttles and other commercial vehicles fall under this program.
- Natural Resource Canada’s fuel consumption ratings search tool can help drivers identify the EVs that best suit their needs.
- The Hydrogen Strategy for Canada, if fully implemented, will position Canada to become a world-leading supplier of clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, generating more than 350,000 high-paying jobs from coast to coast and lead to a $50-billion domestic hydrogen sector.
- The strategy supports the government’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, which included a federal investment of $1.5 billion in a Low-carbon and Zero-Emissions Fuels Fund to increase the production and use of low-carbon fuels, including hydrogen. It complements the Clean Fuel Standard, which will further drive investment and growth in Canada’s fuels sector by incentivizing the development and adoption of clean fuels such as hydrogen.
Related products
- Zero-Emission Vehicle Hub
- Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative
- Electric Charging and Alternative Fuelling Stations Locator
- HTEC
- The Canadian Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association
- First Regional Energy and Resource Tables Collaboration Framework for Accelerating a Low-Carbon Economy Released
Contacts
Natural Resources Canada
Media Relations
343-292-6100
media@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
Keean Nembhard
Press Secretary
Office of Minister of Natural Resources
613-323-7892
Keean.Nembhard@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
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