The province’s consumer advocate is asking questions about who should pay for the charging stations and other infrastructure related to electric vehicles.

Dennis Browne says the utilities have put an application before the PUB suggesting that ratepayers pay to have more charging stations put in place. Browne, who is opposed to that, says the PUB initially agreed with the requests from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Newfoundland Power to spend just over $3 million installing charging stations.

He says electric cars and the business associated with them, have nothing to do with the provision of electricity going into people’s homes, and ratepayers should not be expected to pay for that infrastructure.

Browne says EVs are part of a fledgling business, and if there was a business case to be made, private industry would move in, but it’s not the job of ratepayers to get into that business with the costs associated with Muskrat Falls.