Newfoundland and Labrador's public EV fast-charging network is falling far behind the rest of Canada, and drivers can no longer rely on it to get around our province.

Mass-market EVs have been available for a decade, and other provinces have adopted them at roughly four times our rate per capita. Yet in 2026, reliable and convenient charging across NL is still out of reach.

The original ChargePoint fast chargers took years to roll out, and their uptime is still well below what drivers should expect. The new ABB ultra-fast chargers have been worse. Hydro first filed plans for them in 2023, and they were scheduled to be online in 2025. It is now late 2026, and only some sites are working, with more still to come. Drivers regularly see charging speeds well below what these chargers are rated for, and stalls are frequently out of order.

Public money has been invested in this network. If public charging is going to be run by NL Hydro and the provincial government, it needs to be done right.

We are asking the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and the CEO of NL Hydro to:

1. Publish live uptime and outage data for every public fast-charging site.
2. Commit to fixing outages within a set time, such as 48 hours.
3. Give a firm date for completing every ultra-fast site.
4. Disclose whether the contracts with ABB, ChargePoint and the installers include uptime guarantees or penalties, and enforce them.

Will this be fixed as soon as possible, or will it keep sitting at the side of someone's desk? Sign to ask for a clear answer.