Pretty soon, finding a place to charge an electric vehicle will be as common as finding a gas station to fill up.
Several southwestern Ontario municipalities, including the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington, have come together to develop an electric vehicle charging network strategy.
The strategy would plan, among other things, where electric vehicle charging stations would be located along a corridor that stretches from the 401 Highway to the Bruce Peninsula.
Karen Chisholme, climate change and sustainability manager with the County of Wellington, says with more people purchasing electric vehicles, they want to be in a position where they are ready to have these charging stations available.
“It’s not that we think we will draw more people with electric vehicles to the area,” said Chisholme. “But as our transportation changes to electric, we want to make sure we remain competitive and attractive to those who are going to electric, and that we have those services here.”
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There are two types of charging stations: one for quick stops (Level 3), another for more longer stays (Level 2).
Chisholme said the Level 2 charging stations are commonly found near restaurants, shopping and attractions, while the Level 3 stations are normally at rest stops like ONROUTE.
“We have a lot of tourist attractions in the area that we want to make sure people can come and enjoy as they change their fleet,” said Chisholme.
“Another thing we found when developing the strategy is that our residents who have EVs don’t necessarily have chargers at home. They would be looking at using some of these chargers as well.”
Chisholme said they are in discussions with their municipal partners on how the plan to rollout the charging stations will be handled.
The County said in a news release that the Government of Canada has committed to zero emissions for all-new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada by 2035.
They said the transition to electric vehicles is starting to gain ground.
According to a survey conducted by the County, 67 per cent (659 residents) of respondents said they would consider buying an electric vehicle in the next two to five years.
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