It varies enormously by province, and it’s genuinely one of the more surprising things new EV owners learn: depending on where you live, your electricity might come almost entirely from hydro, largely from nuclear power, or from a mix that includes natural gas and other sources. According to the Canada Energy Regulator, this matters for two reasons, it affects both your electricity rate and how clean your driving actually is.
Canada’s provincial electricity mix
| Province | Primary source |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | Over 85% hydroelectric |
| Manitoba | Over 85% hydroelectric, among the highest in the country |
| Quebec | Over 85% hydroelectric, Canada’s largest electricity producer |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Over 85% hydroelectric |
| Ontario | Roughly half nuclear, about a quarter hydro, with wind, solar, and some natural gas making up the rest |
| Alberta | Predominantly natural gas, with a small and growing share of wind and solar |
| Saskatchewan | A mix of natural gas, coal, hydro, and wind |
| Nova Scotia | A mix that includes coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro |
| New Brunswick | A mix including nuclear, hydro, and fossil fuels |
| Prince Edward Island | Roughly 99% wind, though the province imports a majority of the electricity it actually consumes from New Brunswick |
Canada overall draws roughly 60% of its electricity from hydro, with nuclear, natural gas, wind, and other sources making up the rest, but as the table shows, that national figure hides enormous provincial variation.
Why this matters for you as an EV owner
Your provincial grid mix affects two things directly. First, your electricity rate, hydro-heavy provinces tend to have among the lowest residential electricity prices in the country, see our guide on electricity cost by province for specific rates. Second, your driving’s environmental footprint, a cleaner provincial grid means lower emissions per kilometre driven. See our guide on are EVs better for the environment for how this plays out even in provinces with less clean grids.
💡 Tip: Even in provinces with more fossil-fuel-dependent grids, like Alberta, EVs still produce meaningfully lower lifetime emissions than gas cars. A less-clean grid narrows the gap, it doesn’t eliminate it.
Grids are changing over time
Provincial electricity mixes aren’t static. Coal-fired generation has been phased out or significantly reduced in several provinces over the past decade, and renewable and nuclear capacity continues to expand in others. As grids get cleaner over time, the environmental case for EVs strengthens further in every province, without owners having to do anything differently.
⚠️ Note: These figures represent general, recent patterns and can shift as generation capacity changes. For the most current data on your specific province, the Canada Energy Regulator publishes detailed provincial and territorial energy profiles.