THUNDER BAY — The rollout of dozens of new electric vehicle charging stations around the city is on track.
By March 2023, Thunder Bay will have about 130 Level 2 mid-range chargers and Level 3 fast chargers, triple the number of charging stations it had at the beginning of this year.
The installations are being done under the program administered by the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission called Plug In Thunder Bay.
Supported by $500,000 from the federal government, it provides successful applicants with a grant of up to 50 per cent of the cost of purchasing and installing each unit.
Jamie Lee Kostecki, who planned the project and is executing it for the CEDC, said a number of units are already in use but other installations are still in progress.
"There's a bit of a delay in the market from the manufacturer but they are on schedule to complete their projects by March 31 of next year," Kostecki told TBnewswatch.
She said there's a broad mix of participants in the program.
"There are private companies, telecommunication companies, not-for-profits, academic institutions, and a couple of condominium companies. The program is pretty wide in who was eligible to apply," Kostecki said. "It's quite a robust group, and it's good to see."
Kostecki said the charging stations are being set up in diverse parts of the city.
The CEDC plans to release a list of locations and participants once all installations are completed.
Most of the chargers are the Level 2 mid-range type.
"Fast chargers need a lot more capital investment up front, and you also have to consider all the infrastructure attached to the fast charger versus the Level 2," Kostecki said.
But she expects that as more people in the city acquire electric vehicles, the demand for charging stations will increase.
"The premise of the program is to promote, and to help people adapt to, EVs...the government research found that one of the barriers was the fact that people were concerned about where they were going to charge up."
Kostecki believes the presence of more charging stations in Thunder Bay will make local motorists more comfortable with the technology, knowing they can charge at work, at a restaurant, or at Prince Arthur's Landing.
"They'll become as common as gas stations, even more so probably," she said.
According to Kostecki, under the terms of the project charging stations will be accessible to the public, but the owner of the property will have the option of setting a fee.
Payment could be made through an app on a smartphone, she said.
This week, a report released by the Northern Policy Institute provided insight into other reasons for the poor uptake of zero-emission electric vehicles in Northern Ontario.
It suggested that the absence of government incentives to offset the higher cost of electric vehicles is a key factor.
NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that EV charging stations established under this program will be accessible to the public, but a fee may be charged
