The province is investing $20 million from Ontario's Green Investment Fund to build nearly 500 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at over 250 locations in Ontario in 2017.
Through the $20 million Electric Vehicle Chargers Ontario (EVCO) grant program, the province is working with 27 public and private sector partners to create a network of fast-charging electric vehicle stations in cities, along highways and at workplaces, condominiums and public places across Ontario.
This expansion in charging infrastructure across the province will help address "range anxiety," a common concern of consumers regarding the distance electric vehicles can travel compared to traditional vehicles. By building a more robust network of public chargers across Ontario, electric vehicle owners can now plan longer trips with more confidence that a charging station is as readily available as a gas station is.
A shift to low- and zero-emission vehicles is vital to the fight against climate change and achieving Ontario's greenhouse gas pollution reduction target of 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
Ontario's $325-million Green Investment Fund, a down payment on the province's cap and trade program, is already strengthening the economy, creating good jobs and driving innovation while fighting climate change — a strong signal of what Ontarians can expect from proceeds of the province's cap and trade program. These investments will help secure a healthy, clean and prosperous low-carbon future and transform the way we live, move, work and adapt to our environment while ensuring strong, sustainable communities.
Fighting climate change while supporting growth, efficiency and productivity is part of the government's economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario's history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.
Quick Facts
- The governments $325-million Green Investment Fund was announced in the 2015 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. Projects include: more electric vehicle fast-charging stations; energy retrofits for single-family homes and affordable housing; support for Indigenous communities, industry and small and medium-sized businesses, and helping local organizations fight climate change.
- Transportation in Ontario is the single-largest emitting sector in our economy. Greenhouse gases from cars account for more emissions than those from industries such as iron, steel, cement, and chemicals combined. With a growing population and expanding urban regions, transportation emissions pose one of the provinces greatest challenges in achieving its emissions targets.
- In just 10 years, Ontario has become a North American leader in the development, use and manufacturing of clean energy.
- In May 2015, Ontario became the first province in Canada to set a mid-term greenhouse gas pollution reduction target of 37 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.
- There are approximately 6,400 electric vehicles currently on the road in Ontario.
- Over 200 applications to the EVCO Program were received between Dec. 21, 2015 and Feb. 12, 2016, totalling more than $165 million in grant requests.
