How BC Hydro is shaping the future of electric vehicle charging

At EY, we believe in the power of pairing leading-edge technology with specialized human insight. We grounded our approach in this principle. Chosen for this engagement because of our global capabilities, we kickstarted the project by working with BC Hydro to refine its existing vision and value proposition in developing a public charging program. This value proposition was critical. It became the foundation for what BC Hydro would try to achieve.

Where did we land?

• Mission: to accelerate British Columbia’s clean transportation transition one charge at a time.
• Vision: to be a North American leader in driving transportation electrification by providing ready access to reliable, convenient and affordable charging for all drivers in British Columbia and enabling others to provide charging services.
• Value: powering transportation with clean, reliable energy and trusted public charging stations wherever people go in British Columbia.
• Targeted outcome: enable widespread transportation electrification and greenhouse gas emission reduction in BC and improve the EV charging experience for customers.

With those guiding principles solidified, we worked together through the foundational phase of the project. First, we reviewed the utility’s draft public charging strategy. Then we de-risked the approach overall by providing recommendations to make it robust before taking the plan to the utility’s leadership.

By tapping into EY’s global network of professionals with deep subject matter insight, we identified gaps in the proposed strategy and reframed it accordingly. How so?

• EY practitioners brought insight and tools to help BC Hydro understand how utilities and other organizations are addressing transportation electrification and public charging infrastructure elsewhere in the world.
• Using EY methodologies, we built on their knowledge by carrying out a jurisdiction plan. We pulled together global intel, learnings and leading practices. This proved to be invaluable to BC Hydro. The utility used the information to make strategic decisions around planning and deployment based on what’s worked elsewhere.
• Important also, our approach outlined various go-to-market options. Over the longer term, this means BC Hydro will have the flexibility needed to pivot strategically to other business models or ownership structures as the market evolves.

From that point on, we bolstered efforts by bringing strategic and experienced EY professionals into the conversation at critical junctures. Because the EY network is integrated across more than 150 different countries, we could easily introduce experienced voices into BC Hydro’s visioning and planning process for as long — or as little — as was required. This global view channelled global experience driving the energy transition right into BC Hydro’s own backyard.

This strategy also fuelled the second phase of the project, during which we helped BC Hydro develop an action plan to ultimately guide deployment. This included honing objectives, workstreams, timelines, key performance indicators, and tactics for monitoring progress and refining the strategy as deployment unfolded.

Through stakeholder interviews and workshops, we created an overall roadmap for the public charging program. This included a detailed plan for tracking milestones and initiatives in the near and long terms.

By aligning different phases of the mandate with budget estimates, resource plans and technology requirements, we helped BC Hydro start moving the strategy forward — now.

With a clearly defined “why” and “what,” BC Hydro is now ready to execute its blueprint for “how” to operationalize the plan and deliver on the province’s mandate. We worked hand in hand with the utility to operationalize the program, supporting BC Hydro on developing the budget, resources and other factors they’ll need to consider on the road to 2030. At the same time, we’re currently supporting BC Hydro in defining their overall Transportation Electrification Strategy beyond public charging to help the utility accelerate clean transportation for all customers across BC.