Ontario premier Doug Ford may have killed off the province’s EV vehicle incentives, but his Progressive Conservative government is continuing the push for expanding charging infrastructure. The latest will focus on smaller communities.
“Our government is paving the way towards an electric future by building the infrastructure needed to support the electrification of transportation across Ontario,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “This program will deliver thousands of chargers across the province, which will be powered by our reliable, affordable and clean electricity grid, making EV travel for businesses and families easier than ever.”
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Businesses, not-for-profit corporations, municipalities, organizations and communities, and broader public sector organizations such as hospitals and universities are all eligible for the competitive grants for public charging facilities, as long as the communities have less than 170,000 residents or it is a fully indigenous community.
The province has invested $91 million into the EV ChargeON program, covering the Community Sites Stream (which covers this initiative) and the Government Sites Stream. The latter supports Ontario’s Ivy Charging Network, the largest public highway fast charging network in the province that includes stations installed at 20 OnRoute rest stops along highways 400 and 401.
ONroute rest stop
As of last month, there were more than 135,000 EVs registered in Ontario, including both battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). According to the province, there are more than 2,900 public charging stations with 7,900 ports across Ontario, including 6,600 Level 2 ports and 1,300 Level 3 fast-charging ports.
Applications for the EV ChargeON Community Sites Stream are open on the EV ChargeON site, where you can also find more information about eligibility and other details. The program is open for applicants until January 31 of next year.
