The 4th annual EV & Charging Expo brought together innovators, installers, and industry advocates to showcase the technologies and trends shaping Canada’s electric future. From the growing used EV market to autonomous charging robots and Canadian-built hardware, here are three standout conversations from the show floor.

 

 

Mark Marmer of Signature Electric walked the expo floor with Nino Di Cara, discussing how rising gas prices are pushing more Canadians toward electric vehicles, much like the oil crisis of the 1970s drove interest in fuel-efficient cars.

 

A key shift this year is that the used EV market is finally maturing. Vehicles that came off lease in 2022 are now hitting the secondhand market at lower price points, making EV ownership accessible to a much broader range of buyers. The return of the $5,000 federal incentive also triggered an immediate sales uptick, showing that policy still moves the needle.

 

Toronto Hydro made a significant announcement at the expo, committing to deliver 480-volt power directly from the street and eliminating a costly step-down conversion that has long added expense to charging infrastructure deployments. The NAPA Next Drive program was also highlighted, building a network of independent shops qualified to service used EVs, a critical piece of the long-term ownership ecosystem.

 

 

 

One of the most eye-catching exhibits on the floor was Kiwi Charge, an autonomous EV charging robot that navigates a parking garage on its own, locates your vehicle, opens the charge port, and plugs in, all without input from the driver. Building on the expo’s focus on practical solutions, the system points to a new approach to overnight charging.

 

The system integrates with over 300 vehicle brands, using app-based access to monitor battery state and predict charging needs. An onboard AI model learns your driving patterns so that, in most cases, your car is charged and ready without you having to schedule anything.

 

The most compelling use case is multi-unit residential buildings, where running individual charging infrastructure to every parking stall is expensive and logistically complex. Kiwi Charge’s model requires only a single power connection to the docking station; the robot handles the rest. The optional display screen could also serve as advertising or an interactive touchpoint as the robot moves through a parking facility.

 

 

 

Norwegian company DEFA Power officially received its Canadian certification at this year’s expo, a milestone three years in the making. Their Level-2 EV charger was developed with direct input from Canadian installers, including Signature Electric, and it shows.

 

The unit is rated from -40°C to +50°C, addressing a real pain point after last summer’s heat-related charger failures across public charging networks. It delivers up to 48 amps hardwired with zero derating, thanks to integrated thermal management, meaning you get consistent 12 kWh output regardless of weather conditions.

 

Two standout features set it apart for developers and multi-unit residential projects. First, a two-piece back plate and front plate design allows the back plate and wiring to be installed during construction, with the charger itself snapped in later, eliminating a costly return visit and hundreds of dollars in additional labour per unit. Second, the installer-facing app provides real-time visibility into charger status, firmware, network quality, and electrical settings, enabling dramatically faster remote troubleshooting.