Most visitors to Debbie Nightingale’s Ontario farm are drawn by the chance to get up close and personal with her herd of friendly goats. But some people come for more practical reasons: to charge their electric cars.
“We have people who come regularly because we have these things,” Nightingale said, pointing to a two-port EV charging station installed last year with the help of a federal tourism recovery grant. Because I know it’s there,” he said.
As part of its future net-zero goals, the federal government aims to make all new light car and passenger truck sales zero-emissions by 2035, which will require a nationwide network of public charging ports. becomes.
“We think sustainability is very important, and when we looked around, there weren’t many other EV chargers in the area. So it would be great to have one locally. “I thought so,” Nightingale said.
She pulled out a map to illustrate her point. Nightingale’s farm is located in Newtonville, about 100 kilometers northeast of Toronto. Her map only shows her EV charging stations in a few remote public locations.
Ian Everdell, who lives near Port Hope, said he was grateful for the addition of a goat farm after he and his wife bought a second EV.
“We specifically got a charger that we knew would get us in and out of Toronto with a full charge, because it can still be difficult to find a charger,” he said.
“Even if you find it, there may already be a vehicle connected to it. There are 18 different apps you might have to use. They don’t always work.”
Canada is lagging in charging infrastructure
New federal regulations announced Tuesday are aimed at addressing the shortage.
Under the plan, automakers would have to obtain a minimum amount of credits or face fines. These credits can be earned by selling electric or hybrid plug-in vehicles or by installing more charging stations.
Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault said the network would be built using a combination of private and public funding.
“There is still demand for…infrastructure systems, cross-border systems. [travel], for long distances. But by and large, most EV owners will charge at home,” he said at a press conference.
Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the Canadian Automobile Manufacturers Association, said the nationwide shortage of chargers is a major concern.
“To reach 100 percent electrification in 2035, we need more public charging and multi-unit residential charging across this country,” he said in an interview.
Natural Resources Canada estimates that Canada will need between 442,000 and 469,000 public charging ports by 2035, depending on home charging availability. According to the organization, based on data, as of Dec. 1, there were 10,425 charging stations and 25,246 charging ports. Find charging and alternative fuel stations.
In August, internal report We found that fewer than one in five federally funded chargers are operational.
“There is a huge gap between what we have now and what is needed,” Kingston said. “And achieving these very aggressive sales goals will require a massive build-out of charging infrastructure.”
Kingston said he believes that is the job of the federal government.
“Right now, the primary responsibility for this infrastructure lies with the federal government because it regulates the sale of these vehicles and sets these goals,” he said.
“This is 100 percent an industry issue.”
But Josipa Petrnich, president and CEO of the nonprofit Canadian Urban Transportation Research and Innovation Consortium, doesn’t think so.
“The truth is, taxpayers have built a good fortune,” she said. “This is 100 per cent an industry issue and I don’t have a lot of patience with the argument over the last few years, especially recently from the car industry, that the government should do it.”
Petrunich said the automotive sector should lead the way because it has all the data on where charging ports are needed and where they will be needed in the future.
“They need to start innovating, like Tesla did, to basically sell cars with charging services,” she says.
But Petrnich said he believes the federal government will have a greater role in developing infrastructure in northern, indigenous and rural areas.
“The state has to subsidize it, and that makes sense,” she says.
Currently, there is no single entity responsible for implementing public charging infrastructure or deciding where chargers will be installed nationwide. Instead, funding for chargers comes from a combination of federal, state, territory, and city governments, as well as the private sector, primarily in large urban areas.
Mr Kingston said he welcomed more systematic cooperation with the federal government.
“I think we need to effectively set that target, measure its progress and establish a committee to implement it, because we cannot meet the government’s sales targets without the corresponding infrastructure. And at the moment, these two things are completely disconnected, which is really hard. ”
The City of Windsor is looking at ways to add more EV chargers across the city, including options for people without driveways or garages. CBC’s Chris Ensing looks at what’s working in other cities ahead of the transition to electric vehicles.
New builds should require a charger: Expert
Canada also plans to significantly expand the availability of charging infrastructure in apartments and multifamily buildings to support EV needs.
Olivier Trescase, a professor at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Power Electronics Converters, says retrofitting condominiums and apartment buildings to accommodate EVs requires upgrading the transformers that power the complex. In some cases, it could cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, he said.
“Ultimately it comes down to whether the building actually has the power capacity, right? So the worst case scenario is if everyone is charging at the same time while the air conditioner is running.” he says.
“For new construction, it makes a lot of sense to impose a requirement that all new parking spaces have at least a rough-in for chargers,” Trescase said.
“And when that time comes, you’ll be able to actually install a charger and plug it into an outlet, because technology is changing.”
There are different incentives and regulations for building new EV charging stations in varying numbers across the country. The federal government provides funding to install EV chargers in apartment complexes. It is also working to change Canada’s electrical code to allow new residential buildings to accommodate EVs.
A large condominium development in Toronto is betting on the marketability of a net-zero future. Located in the northeastern part of the city, Residences at Central Park will combine residential and retail buildings and green space, with more than 1,500 EV charging stations, one in every parking lot in the area.
“It’s clear there aren’t as many EV charging stations in Toronto as you would like,” said Ashling Evans, director of real estate for Amexon Development Corporation, which operates Central Park. “Some of the condos that are being developed now, he’s actually not putting in 100% of his effort, he’s just doing the bare minimum.”
Evans said that even though it would cost an additional $10 million to $12 million to realize his vision of installing EV chargers at every spot, the development is a long-term plan for future needs. He said that.
“This is a win-win for the environment, and it also encourages people who buy units here to buy EV cars, which is what we want people to do,” she said. said.
Encouraging people to be environmentally conscious is also one of the reasons Debbie Nightingale installed chargers on her farm.
The charging station and restaurant are connected by underground cables. People park, turn on, watch animals and have lunch at her cafe while charging their cars.
“I don’t think it’s going to generate a ton of income in any way. I think it’s going to pay for itself as it goes along. But that’s fine with me, because… ..because the purpose was just to support something “environment,” she said.
