TORONTO - Canadian companies are looking to expand the number of charging stations for hybrid and electric cars in Canada, Canadian Press reports.

According to the car-powering companies, deploying a charging infrastructure is critical to building sales of the eco-friendly vehicles, which are being featured at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto (going on through February 24),

Sun Country Highway president Kent Rathwell said his company has installed several hundred of its dedicated charging stations along the Trans-Canada Highway, proof that electric cars can keep pace with their gas-guzzling siblings.

Completed last year, the project to place free charging stations at hotels and restaurants along the Trans-Canada Highway has made it the "world??s longest, greenest highway," Rathwell said.

"We've eliminated all the preconceived notions about electric vehicles ?" range anxiety, can you drive them in the winter," said Rathwell, who drove the entire highway in an electric car. "The whole electric-vehicle movement, which has been so up-and-down in the last 100 years, can now move forward. The common denominator as to why it hasn't moved forward, in my eyes, is that the infrastructure simply hasn't been in," he said.

Rathwell said his company plans to have dedicated charging stations across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and on highways in all provinces form Quebec to British Columbia.

Other companies as the auto show have also been promoting the benefits of dedicated charging stations.

Schneider Electric said its higher voltage $800 garage charger reduces the charge time from 15 hours to 4 for the Ford Focus electric car.