Need a place to recharge your electric car? There are more charging stations coming to thoroughfare near you.
The County of Wellington will receive just over $215,000 as part of a new $20 million funding jolt to Ontario’s growing network of electric vehicle charging stations. The Electric Vehicle Chargers Ontario grant program was announced this week.
A total of 27 public and private sector partners will receive funding, primarily in Ontario’s most populous southern region.
Koben Systems Inc. will receive nearly $11.4 million to build about 330 stations in Mississauga, while Montreal firm, Electric Circuit, will receive $1.4 million to build 22 charging stations in Ottawa and other areas of eastern Ontario.
The funding, part of the province’s Green Investment Fund, will add 500 new stations in about 250 locations in Ontario next year. Are are currently about 6,400 electric vehicles on the road in Ontario.
The Wellington County portion will help install three stations in Guelph and along Highway 6. The exact locations are not yet known.
The grant program is the Government of Ontario’s response to so-called range anxiety — the concern motorists have about the distance electric cars can travel before running out of juice.
In a press release, the government said that with a more robust network of public chargers, electric vehicle owners will be able to plan longer trips with more confidence, knowing that a charging station will be as available as a gas station.
The funding effort is part of an ongoing shift to low or zero-emission vehicles, which are seen as an important step is fighting climate change through greenhouse gas pollution reduction.
Ontario’s $325 million Green Investment Fund was announced in the 2015 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. It covers projects like fast-charging stations, energy retrofits for homes and affordable housing, and support for indigenous community and businesses.
