Australian company Jolt plans to launch its fast electric vehicle charging stations in Canada later this year.

The stations will be free for drivers (up to 7 kWh free per day which equates to 20 minutes of charging) since the company’s business model is supported by advertising. The chargers will be integrated with double-sided digital billboards and will offer Telus public wifi, thanks to a partnership that Jolt signed with the telco last year.

Jolt also aims to grab the attention of marketers by providing advertising space in the app, which drivers use to charge their cars. Brands also have access to information collected in the app, including data on the peak hours when drivers use the platform, ad engagements and other participation rates.

The chargers will be installed on both public and private property in urban and metropolitan areas. The exact locations will be announced later this year.

In the meantime, Jolt is focusing on building the team that will help grow the company’s network of advertisers in Canada, and has hired executive Brendan Dillon (pictured below) to lead sales. Dillon will serve as senior VP of sales, reporting to founder and CEO Doug McNamee. He will work with potential clients to drive growth for their brands through the company’s network, and drive audience engagement on the app.

Dillon joins Jolt with more than a decade of experience in the advertising industry, most recently as VP of digital and programmatic sales at Outfront Media, where he headed digital and programmatic GTM strategies.

“I’m really excited about the opportunities this represents for the brands and agencies we get to collaborate with. There’s just so much we can do in terms of creative, customized experiences that connect with a really valuable and active EV driver community,” Dillon tells MiC.

Dillon says Jolt offers brands the platform to target a huge demo looking for sustainable solutions and products. “Advertising as an industry has a vital role to play in driving sustainable practices through both direct and programmatic media channels. Jolt’s unique, authentically sustainable advertising model represents a meaningful contribution to meeting Canada’s net zero goals, so its sales area is starting with like-minded partners who want to create a positive impact with their media campaigns, while unlocking new audiences in new areas,” he says.

According to him, Jolt plans to become one of the largest digital OOH panel networks by 2025 – the company will install up to 5,000 electric vehicle charging points with integrated advertising, which represents 10,000 in total. “That’s a long-term pipeline of screens installed at locations that may not have been unlocked before,” he says.

Jolt’s OOH network also comes at a time when the country needs more electric chargers, according to the company.

A study by Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors on behalf of the Government of Canada predicts that millions of electric vehicles will be on the roads in the coming years, which will require the installation of more than 200,000 public chargers by 2030.