Will Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Be Good for Millbrook?

 

Leonard Knott

Cavan Ward Councillor Jordan Landry is thinking ahead, possibly to a time when there are lots of electricity-powered cars on the road. At this week’s Cavan Monaghan Township Council meeting, she introduced a Notice of Motion stating that electric vehicle charging stations be added to the Outstanding Action Items.

Her Notice of Motion also states that council direct staff to draft a report and come back to council with recommendations on charging stations for Electric Vehicles (EVs) which address: “whether or not a charging station would be beneficial in Millbrook, what the potential costs (capital and operating) would be, whether sponsorship is a possibility, possible locations, liability concerns, and exploring marketing avenues so the public is aware of new charging stations.”

Right now, for a limited time, Ontario drivers who purchase new plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations for private use can take advantage of incentives from the province. They can get up to $8,500 back when they purchase or lease an eligible electric vehicle, and up to $1,000 back on the purchase and installation of an eligible charging station.

The Ontario Government is telling EV owners, “You can plug your car into a regular household outlet but upgrading to a Level 2 (220V, 30amps) station, connected to the same type of plug you need for a dryer or stove, will let you charge your car faster.”

As of June 1, 2015, there were 4,496 electric vehicles registered in Ontario, 3,414 EV rebates awarded, and 776 EV charging rebates awarded.

These rebates are allocated for private vehicles only which means that a Millbrook-operated EV charging station is unlikely to be eligible for one, whether for the Township’s vehicles or for public use.

However, if Jordan Landry’s motion is addressed and other communities follow Cavan Monaghan’s lead, how long will it be before governments start actually encouraging communities to set up public EV charging stations as a way to boost tourism and business?

According to Navigant Research, “Canadian PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles) sales are forecast to reach 230,470 units by 2022.” Most will be in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec.

Tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply