The Ontario government has announced that all ONroutes on the 400 and 401 now have access to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Todd Smith, the Minister of Energy, has made the announcement which is working to make it more convenient for EV owners to travel the province with fast chargers now installed at all 20 renovated ONroute stations along the province’s two busiest highways.
“Our government is putting shovels in the ground to build critical infrastructure that will support Ontario’s growing EV manufacturing industry,” says Smith.
“It will be more convenient than ever this summer for workers and families to grab a coffee or a meal while charging their electric vehicle.”
The new fast charging stations are part of an EV charger roll-out that was announced in December 2021 by the Ontario government. The woll-out is a joint effort between the provincial government, Ivy Charging Network, ONroute, Canadian Tire, as well as Natural Resources Canada.
(Credit: ONroute)
All ONroutes along the 400 and 401 are now equipped with at least two EV chargers.
All ONroutes along the two highways are now equipped with at least two EV chargers, with busier areas being equipped with more. As with other charging systems, the chargers are available to all drivers on a pay-per-use basis and serve all vehicle types.
“With a total of 20 ONroute stations now equipped with EV fast chargers, our government continues to make life easier for those who drive electric vehicles,” says Caroline Mulroney, the Minister of Transportation with the Ontario government.
“With more people switching to electric vehicles each year, we’re preparing for the future now by rapidly building the infrastructure needed to support a cleaner, greener, more accessible Ontario for zero-emission vehicle drivers.”
EVs are becoming more and more popular as cities and governments push towards cleaner energy and a focus on addressing climate change.
The World Economic Forum has released a report saying that 1 in 7 vehicles sold globally are now EVs with 10.6 million sold globally in 2022.
Focusing more specifically on Canada, the 2023 S&P Global Mobility Sales-based Powertrain forecast says that the market share for EVs in Canada is projected to continue to grow and reach nearly 12 per-cent for 2023, on 1.6 million vehicles in Canada.
With that, as of May 2023, there are more than 118-thousand EVs registered in Ontario.
“Over the last two and a half years, Ontario has attracted over $25 billion in auto and EV battery related investments that will create more good-paying jobs and opportunities across the province,” says Vic Fedeli, the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade.
“Ontario is at the heart of the EV revolution, and the new EV fast chargers will help people and businesses more conveniently access charging on the go as we continue to build Ontario’s end-to-end EV supply chain.”
This initiative builds on the government’s Driving Prosperity plan to create a domestic EV battery ecosystem in the province and attempts to position Ontario as a North American automotive innovation hub, by working to support the continued pivot to electric, low-carbon, connected and autonomous vehicles.
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