Posted: May, 12, 2020 8:14AM ET • 4 min read

An electric vehicle being charged by an EV charging station

Perhaps you’ve just established that your organization is eligible to apply for Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP).

Congratulations!

After you’ve prepared a comprehensive project scope and plan consisting of ZEVIP-eligible, smart and connected EV charging stations, you’re ready to apply.

The application deadline for phase two of ZEVIP is Thursday, June 11, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. (EST).

To apply for ZEVIP, follow the steps below:

Visit Natural Resource Canada’s official website here.
Request an application package with your basic contact information and Project Summary.
Submit your application via email or registered mail to the address in the chart below.
Wait for a receipt of submission sent to your email. This may take up to five business days.

You have applied for ZEVIP. Now what?

The decision-making process is as follows:

Your project proposal will be assessed, ranked, and rated against merit criteria by a review committee. NRCan will issue funding decisions.
Unsuccessful project proposals will receive letters of regret and successful project proposals will receive Letters of Conditional Approval (LOCA) by August 2020.

If you’ve been conditionally approved, the process is as follows:

You will undergo a due diligence assessment that will look at your financial strengths and ability to complete the project within the 18 months after you receive your LOCA.
An in-depth financial analysis might be required. If so, NRCan will inform you and provide details on next steps.
The findings from the due diligence process will be considered as part of NRCan’s decision to enter into a contribution agreement with your organization's proposed project.
NRCan may request that you provide confirmation or clarification to support your project proposal.
You have six (6) months after receiving conditional project approval to sign the contribution agreement.

Letters of Conditional Approval do not imply eligibility for expenses incurred. The expenditures incurred between the receipt of the LOCA and the date on which a contribution agreement is signed by NRCan may fall outside of the eligible expenditure period. Although they may count toward total project costs, they are not eligible for reimbursement by NRCan. Therefore, it’s important to consult with NRCan during this period prior to incurring expenditures.

It’s important you make sure that your project proposal meets all mandatory criteria. Those that do not meet all of the mandatory criteria will not be given further consideration.

If your project is successful and the due diligence assessment results are suitable, the following will happen:

You’ll be invited to initiate the negotiation of a contribution agreement
Findings from the due diligence assessment will determine risk mitigation strategies, which will be included in the contribution agreement (e.g., monthly progress reports or percentage of risk holdback)
The monitoring strategies applied during the conduct of the project could be defined by the risk level identified. In this case, you would be informed in writing.