As electric vehicles become more common on Ontario roads, drivers are raising concerns over the province’s lack of charging infrastructure. Cottagers, in particular, can be left stranded with limited charging stations along the routes up to Northern Ontario.
To solve this problem, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is making it easier for EV charging stations to connect to the province’s grid. Starting May 27, all of Ontario’s 58 local utility companies will follow the Electric Vehicle Charging Connections Procedure (EVCCP), an outline created by the OEB that details how a utility company should connect to an EV charging station. The new guidelines are expected to help streamline the building of EV charging stations across the province.
“This is just another step we are taking to reduce red tape, increase EV adoption, and use our clean electricity supply to support the electrification of Ontario’s transportation sector,” said Todd Smith, minister of energy, in a statement.
What’s changing for the EV owner?
Previously, there were no provincial-wide guidelines on how EV charging stations were to be connected to the grid. The EVCCP lays out the different timelines, information requirements, and responsibilities for customers when building an EV charging station. For instance, the EVCCP states that it’s on the customer to submit a connection request. If the customer meets all the installation requirements, the utility company must provide the customer with an offer to connect within 60 calendar days of receiving the request.
The EVCCP also states that if there’s already sufficient capacity for an EV charging station in the area, customers only have to pay connection costs. However, in situations where the utility company has to build more infrastructure to support the charging station, such as hydro poles, and calculates that there will be a financial loss from the project, they will collect an additional payment from the customer to cover the costs. However, the customer could receive a rebate if other unforeseen parties connect to the system and benefit from the expansion.
New regulatory framework aimed at public charging stations
The EVCCP applies to connections for public charging stations, such as at service stations, workplaces, multi-unit residential buildings, and commercial EV fleets. It does not regulate the connection of EV charging stations for individual residential customers. Those customers need to contact their utility company directly to find out the options for installing a charging station.
FLO, an EV charging network operator in Canada, applauded the OEB’s announcement. “The EVCCP represents a critical advancement in reducing carbon emissions, meeting ever-increasing EV demand, and accelerating the deployment of a reliable charging infrastructure across the province,” said Louis Tremblay, president and CEO of FLO, in a statement. “We are confident this program will enhance regulatory certainty, increase transparency for investments, and contribute to addressing range anxiety.”
Why an electric vehicle is a viable cottage car
Last year, the Ontario government launched the EV ChargeON program, a funding program designed to increase the number of EV charging stations outside of Ontario’s large urban centres, including at community hubs, Ontario’s highway rest areas, carpool parking lots, and parks. The government has invested $91 million in the program. Along with EV ChargeON, the government has also installed EV fast chargers at all 20 renovated ONroute stations along Highway 400 and 401. The province currently has over 2,900 public charging stations.
What you need to know for your next hybrid or electric vehicle purchase
As of December 2023, there were an estimated 150,000 EVs registered in Ontario, and nearly 800,000 registered in Canada. With the federal government’s zero-emissions vehicle sales target, the OEB predicts that there will be 1.4 million EVs registered in Canada by 2026 and 12.4 million by 2035.
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