Ontario Putting $20 Million Into EV Charging Station Buildout

The Canadian province of Ontario will be investing $20 million into a new public electric vehicle charging station buildout, according to recent reports.

The new funding will be coming via the Ontario Green Investment Fund, and is intended to help speed up the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the province. The announcement was made at the recent COP21 climate change talks in Paris, France, by Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Glen Murray.

“The program will be application-based on a first-come, first-serve basis,” stated Murray, pointing out that the $20 million will be spent within the fiscal year and is just a start. “The program will be elaborated on in the next budget year, so this is really a kick-start program.”

The government there will be utilizing various public and private sector partners to pursue the EV station buildout — which will reportedly be centered around high-population cities, busy highways, and other important public places. Both level 2 and level 3 chargers will be installed.

Ontario’s current goals call for the province to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 80% (using 1990 levels) by the year 2050. The new plans for an EV charging station buildout are considered to be part of the plans to achieve that goal. The province’s Green Investment Fund currently totals $325 million.

Here are some further facts via a recent press release:

• While at COP21, Premier Wynne joined Québec Premier Philippe Couillard and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger in signing a new MOU that lays out the intent to link the cap and trade programs in all three provinces under the Western Climate Initiative, further strengthening North America’s largest carbon market.
• Transportation in Ontario is the single-largest emitting sector in our economy. Greenhouse gases from cars account for more emissions than those from industries such as iron, steel, cement, and chemicals combined. With a growing population and expanding urban regions, transportation emissions pose one of the province’s greatest challenges in achieving its emissions targets.
• A Canada 2020 poll shows that 84% of Canadians believe that prosperous countries such as Canada have an obligation to show international leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• In May 2015, Ontario became the first province in Canada to set a mid-term greenhouse gas pollution reduction target of 37% below 1990 levels by 2030.
• There are approximately 5,400 electric vehicles currently registered in Ontario.

(Tip of the hat here to “RunNadRun” on the Tesla Motors Club forum for sharing the news.)