Ontario has committed to building 500 electric car charging locations in over 250 locations across the province to fight climate change.
The province is working with 24 public and private sector organizations to create 200 Level 2 and 300 Level 3 charging stations by the end of March, 2017, according to a statement sent to MobileSyrup.
Level 2 charging stations use a 240 volt system and can fully charge a vehicle from zero per cent charge in four to six hours and Level 3 charging stations use a 480 volt system and can charge a vehicle to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes (about eight times faster than Level 2 stations).
Drivers will be able to pay to charge their vehicles with their credit cards, similar to paying for gas at a regular gas station.
“By investing in charging infrastructure that is fast, reliable and affordable, we are encouraging more Ontarians to purchase electric vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and keeping our air clean,” said the minister of transportation Stephen Del Duca in a statement sent to MobileSyrup.
This $20 million investment, made through Ontario’s Green Investment Fund, will be used to address the “range anxiety” that supposedly affects many owners of electric vehicles. With more readily accessible charging stations, electric vehicle owners will likely be comfortable travelling longer distances. In the first phase of this rollout, electric vehicle owners will be able to travel from Windsor to Ottawa or from Toronto to North Bay.
Metro News reports that this initiative is part of Ontario Premiere Kathleen Wynne’s 5-year, $8.3 billion plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, otherwise known as the Climate Change Action Plan.
Furthermore, this plan includes subsidizing overnight electrical charging at home, making charging plugs mandatory in all new houses and condos that have garages, and a program that encourages low to middle income drivers to trade in their fuel cars for used or new electric cars.
The Wynne administration is currently expanding government rebates on electric cars and will negotiate with Ottawa to have the 13 percent harmonized sales tax removed from electric cars by 2018. Between Deccember 21st, 2015 and Februrary 12th, 2016, over 200 applications were submitted to the Electric Vehicle Charger Ontario program.
By promoting electric cars, Wynne hopes to reduce Ontario’s greenhouse gas pollution to 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050, preceded by 37 percent in 2030 and 15 percent in 2020.
To see a list of all the projected locations for electric car charging stations, click here.
Related reading: Fast-charging corridor for electric cars to go up between Quebec and Ottawa by 2017
[source]Province of Ontario[/source]
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