Canada — Supercharger Energy-Based Billing
Show your support for transparent and fair billing at public charging
In your message, please tell us:
- Your name
- Where you live (city and province)
- Why you think Canadian regulators should let charging operators bill based on energy consumed, rather than time spent charging
- Why you think this should be fixed today – now
Have you ever wondered why you pay for EV charging based on time, rather than energy, here in Canada?
It is because of a federal agency, Measurement Canada, which currently prohibits charging providers from billing customers for the energy (kWh) they consume. To enable energy-based billing, the Agency must establish new metering rules for EV charging. Until then, customers must be billed using time. Imagine a consumer paying for gasoline based on how long they use a gas pump – rather than for the litres of gasoline they fill.
Why do Tesla customers always ask for energy-based billing?
Energy-based billing provides accountability for charging operators, and fair and transparent billing for consumers because they would pay for the actual energy delivered. Billing per minute can lead to confusion and inconsistent customer experiences because some customers effectively pay more than others for the same amount of energy because their bill is based on how long their car was charging.
What can be done to fix this problem?
In support of our customers, Tesla filed a request with Measurement Canada seeking “temporary dispensation” – a power granted to the Agency to provide exemptions on a temporary basis – so that customers could be billed on an energy basis until new rules are written. In its response, Measurement Canada swiftly dismissed our request.
There is good news. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, has the power to intervene to allow energy-based billing at EV chargers today, and until such time as Measurement Canada finalizes its metering rules and a reasonable retrofit period can be provided. Given Minister Champagne’s ongoing support for good EV policy – along with the Minister of Natural Resources, the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, who has created leading EV infrastructure programs that are also impacted – we are optimistic that the government will step in and do the right thing for EV drivers. Tell us why you think he should!
Tesla wants to hear from you about why you think Measurement Canada should immediately enable per-kWh billing by granting a temporary dispensation for Superchargers. Send us a video or written message so we can share your views with the Government of Canada. Help us fix Supercharger billing.
What you need to know:
Public EV charging operators in Canada currently bill EV drivers on a time-basis (per-minute or per-hour), because Canadian metering rules were not designed with EV charging in mind. Therefore, the existing rules are not suited for Measurement Canada to review and approve the metering devices that would be embedded in EV charging equipment.
In the fall of 2020, after hearing from EV drivers and enthusiasts like you from across the country, Measurement Canada launched a stakeholder consultation to develop metering rules to allow EV charging to be priced on the amount of energy received (kilowatt-hour). Tesla has been participating actively in the consultation process alongside other EV equipment manufacturers and operators, as well as representatives of EV owners' associations.
Tesla recognizes that developing metering specifications that are adapted for new and evolving technologies takes time. In the meantime, EV drivers should be able to pay on a per-kWh basis for charging services. Measurement Canada has the power to provide a temporary dispensation from metering rules for Superchargers, until rules for DC charging equipment are established – and for a limited time afterward to mitigate the impact of any retrofits that may become necessary.
Unfortunately, Measurement Canada swiftly dismissed Tesla’s request for such a dispensation.
Most other jurisdictions, including many in the United States, allow energy-based billing while metering guidance and rules are being developed. But, not in Canada.
Measurement Canada has failed to develop a plan and timeline to enable kWh-billing on DC fast charging, such as Superchargers, but we’re confident that, once fully briefed – and with your support – the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, will step in to solve this issue. The Minister has the power to intervene and to allow energy-based billing at EV chargers now, until such time as Measurement Canada finalizes its metering rules and a reasonable retrofit period can be provided.
Make your voice heard today, and let us know what a switch from per-minute billing to per-kWh billing would mean to you. Record a video above, or submit a written comment below.
Enabling kWh-billing for EV charging will provide more transparent pricing and ensure that EV drivers are not penalized for slower charging sessions.
Time is a bad measure to charge customers for EV charging services. This is because EVs charge at different speeds for a variety of reasons:
Different cars charge at different rates on the same charging station
- Different vehicle models are equipped with different onboard chargers and have different charging capabilities.
- DC-fast charging speeds also depend on the vehicle’s capabilities and other factors.
Identical cars on different charging stations may charge at different rates
- Two stations with identical per-minute billing but different power ratings will result in the same bill, for a different amount of energy delivered.
Two identical cars, on two identical charging stations may charge at different rates
- DC charging speeds depend on a battery’s state of charge, battery temperature and ambient temperature.
- Some charging technologies use power management technology to reduce the flow of power to a vehicle in order to optimize for efficient use of the utility service connection. While this can be useful for charging operators, drivers often have no knowledge of power limiting or power-sharing capabilities. Such technologies are likely to become more commonplace, which is why per kWh billing is more appropriate.
Measurement Canada’s role is to protect consumers by ensuring that they pay for what they’re getting. However, the practice of time-based billing, which EV charging operators have had to adopt, does just the opposite. It lacks transparency, it undermines the principles of consumer protection, and it is unfair for EV drivers like you. The fairest and most transparent way to bill EV charging is based on the amount of energy received, measured in dollars per kilowatt hour ($/kWh).
Disclaimer
Videos, comments, and emails submitted as part of this program may be published online or provided to the Government of Canada. By submitting a comment, email, or video you are granting Tesla Motors Canada ULC / Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) and its licensees, successors, affiliates, and assigns (the “Licensed Parties”) a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable right and unrestricted permission to the recordings collected, including your likeness, image, voice, appearance (the “Material). All right, title, and interest in and to the Material, including all intellectual property rights in connection with the Material, is the sole property of Tesla, free from any claims by you.
Other Campaigns
-
New York — Support Direct SalesEncourage the Governor and legislative leaders to find a solution that allows Tesla and other electric vehicle manufacturers to read more... -
Welcome to the Tesla Engagement PlatformAN INTRODUCTION Engage Tesla is a new platform for both Tesla's public policy team and Tesla Owner's Clubs. Its goal is to read more...
It makes no sense to pay by minute. My car charges slowly so I end up paying more. Payment should be based on actual usage/consumption. Time has no relevance.
It makes no sense to pay by minute. It is a commodity just like gas, electricy for your home, water, etc. Payment should be based on actual usage/consumption. Time has no relevance.
Preeth
I live in Toronto, Ontario. It's stupid that Ontario regulators want companies to charge users by the duration of charging instead of kwh. How does that make any sense. While you are at it why don't you change the metric to measure water consumption to km/hr? Because it makes as much sense to charge users for electricity consumption at charging stations by duration instead of the actual units of electricity consumed.
I just want fare rate and the best is per kwh.
Please Canada change the regulations to authorize it for all chargers
Mary
we are trying to reduce the Carbon footprint which align with the government direction; onthe other hand government is punishment to pay more by doing that. This is 2022, please be agile.
We need to stop thinking in terms of gas and electricity for vehicles and start thinking fuel (because who knows what other fuels might be coming).
Consumers/businesses should be billed for the quantity of fuel purchased, not how long it takes to load the fuel.
I understand that there is some (now) outdated legislation that is preventing this; so our government response should be two fold.
First, update the legislation. This takes time (government moves at the speed of bureaucracy), so...
Second, use whatever tools/powers you have at your disposal to create a temporary solution until the legislation can be updated.
Alternative fuel vehicles have been on the road for over a decade now and the current Federal government wants to encourage wider adoption, so doing something about the fuel billing situation seems prudent!
Completely in line with Ontario's curse of politicians allowing oligopolies to abuse consumers. There is zero accuracy or benefit to the consumer for charging by time, we're not paying for time we're paying for unit of energy, so calculate unit of energy.
There is no consumer protection in the obfuscation of accurate accounting.
Billing by time is not fair due to a number of factors related to the physics of charging. These including, power capacity of the charger, state of charge of the vehicle, ambient conditions (temperature), local cost of electricity, etc.
Please use a scientific and fact based method to resolve this issue to show that Canada "gets it" and can lead the way to a sustainable transportation future.
Thank You.
When one purchases a service, the incurred cost should be inherited from what one receives—in this case, electricity. It is therefore fundamentally illogical to base prices off the time one takes to charge their vehicle, as vehicles may charge at varying speeds and conditions may change. As others have brought up, drivers of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles pay for their fuel based on the amount that they use, not how long they are at the gas station for. It is simply illogical to be using time as a metric to price charging as it benefits nobody; drivers are frustrated when their vehicle charges at a slower rate, stakeholders are frustrated when this acts as a deterrent to buying electric vehicles (EVs), and it follows that the environment continues to detriment from the ongoing expenditure of fossil fuels.
Michael Murphy, Beaumont,AB
Billing for high speed charging must be based on energy used rather than a time based billing process. From a consumer perspective billing by consumption is used with all other utilities such as water, electricity and natural gas.
Marilyn Johnson, Medicine Hat, Alberta
ICE - You don't pay by the minute when you gas up. And you pay for what you use.
EV -why should we pay by the minute to power up??? instead of paying for what we use.
Paying by the minute is absolutely ludicrous in my opinion. Seems a little prejudice if you ask me.
The correct billing should be based on the amount of energy used and not time spend . This is not rocket science it's common sense .When you fill gas in a regular car you pay for the litres used and not charged on the basis of time spend to fill the tank .
Hope the concerned step up realize the error and correct it
The Canadian government need to review this outdated regulation. One the one hand we are trying to reduce the Carbon footprint which align with the government direction; onthe other hand government is punishment to pay more by doing that. This is 2022, please be agile.
In Canada they used to charge for propane based on weight, or used to charge a set fee to fill a tank regardless of the amount that was already in the tank. Now they charge per litre, just like other fuels...go figure?!
Now it's electricity for cars that they wish to charge per time useage. How silly is that. You can bet BC Hydro, Ontario Hydro, and other related companies have methods for charging by the KWH. Is it too much to have us charged by the same method as in our homes and businesses?! What's the delay? Come on people!
Per minute is a cash grab way of charging for EV stations.
Like a lot of supercharger stations, if two side by side chargers are being utilized the charge rate goes down as load sharing is in effect. Now you are paying the same per minute for a lot less than what a single charger can supply. Or what if there is an issue with a charger and it can't ouput the max kWh rating? The customer must pay for an issue with the charger?
The way Tesla charges in the USA makes sense...per kWh then after you reach a full charge or set limit it will alert you via app and start charging you per minute of idle time...make that rate rediculous if you like 3 or 5 dollars a minute idle fee to keep people from leaving their cars for ever.
Canada, we don't need committees, branches and a bunch of suits sitting in a room to figure this out, wasting more of my tax dollars...stop trying to make the change to forward thinking advancements into a cash grab for yourselves and the energy companies...they are gouging us enough as it is.
Jeremy
Ontario, Canada
We switched to an electric vehicle do our part of protecting the environment and helping the city move toward its goal of a cleaner future. This unfair that the cost of charging in Canada cannot be billed by the usage instead we are paying in minutes. This is costing an extra 60-80% additional charges when using our vehicle in country. As a developed country it's unacceptable that a simple rule such as this cannot be fixed or temporarily suspended until you work on a fix when inflation and other costs are all time.
Charge by the minute advantages:
1. Someone doesn't start charging and then leave for a 90 minute lunch, tying up the charge station while not using it.
2. Someone using a faster charger than their vehicle requires thereby limiting access to those who really need the faster charger. (The slower stations charge less per minute.)
3. This encourages users to charge their vehicle faster instead or programming it to charge slower, (to extend battery life). This charge by minute gets more vehicles per hour through busy charging stations.
Disadvantages of per minute charging:
1. Open to price gouging when users don't know what they are actually buying.
2. Not consistent with providers that charge by the kWh for residential and other business users. (This charge by the minute singles out and penalizes electrical vehicles only.)
3. Users need to decide a balance between faster charging to save money or slower charging to extent battery life.
Recommended solution:
Perhaps the easiest way is to charge for kWh plus have a base price for time to charge. This is very similar to what we, (in Alberta, Canada) pay for home electricity. There is a kWh charge and then there are (Cost of) Delivery charges.
This is a safety concern. To save money, a Tesla owner that was being charged time spent would be encouraged to arrive at the supercharger with as little charge left in the battery as possible and to charge to as little as possible to get to the destination. This would result in more dead batteries at the side of the road. We all know that "almost empty batteries"charge faster and "almost full batteries" charge slower but exaggerating a good practice is risky.. it is also unfair to charge someone more who can't charge at a faster charger.Tesla is being fair to the consumer and the regulator is on the side of perhaps other charging companies who want to gouge the consumer
Canada MUST change outdated regulations to reflect per kW charging. Imagine paying for the time you spend at the gasoline pump? Sounds ridiculous beceause it is.
As the world transitions to EVs the basic infastructure must be there to support it ahead of time. Folks who are not EV enthusiasts will find nothing but frustration if Canada does not change this fundamental error.
Pay-per-kWh DC Fast Charging MUST happen in Canada NOW.
The Canadian government wants to be progressive yet they come up with complicated ways of accomplishing green initiatives. I want charging to be as easy as my Tesla ownership. Calculating my supercharging costs should be as easy as it is at home. Per kWh! Simple! I plan on contacting my MP, who was a green candidate and is now liberal, to rectify this ridiculous practice!