EV Infrastructure

Why are we investing in EV infrastructure?

• There are more than 2,700 electric vehicles registered in Perth County with only 8 publicly available chargers (not to mention tourists and people travelling through!). By supporting in EV charging we are ensuring that everyone can visit and enjoy our community.
• Electrifying transportation is one of the most impactful things rural communities can do to decrease GHG emissions from transportation - especially in southern Ontario where our communities are spread out, with transportation accounting for one third of our total emissions.
• Level 2 public chargers are a cost-effective way to support EV tourism and local EV adoption.
• Electric vehicle users will change their routes to visit a great charging location. This provides a real opportunity for our local businesses and downtown cores.

How much did the purchase and installation of the Level 2 station(s) cost the municipality?

50% of the station costs were paid for by provincial/federal grants. Your municipality paid the additional 50% per station, that works out to roughly $7,500 per station. The $7,500 per station is a great deal for the community as it includes:

• Level 2 station purchase and installation
• 5 years of operations, maintenance and network fees and
• Project management and promotion work that runs the project

Keep in mind the station(s) were installed as part of a regional network to spur tourism and economic development, and the project forecasts the economic impact of these co-benefits to be greater than the initial investment of the community.

Many people have heard that drivers prefer Level 3 chargers, what are the benefits of installing Level 2 chargers?

• Increase tourist visits to community
• Encourage visits to local amenities
• Increase length of stays in community
• Provide service for longer stays at recreation facilities (e.g. all-day tournaments, half-day visits)
• Low cost to own and operate for community
• Provide charging infrastructure for locals without chargers at home
• Accelerate local EV adoption

As funding becomes available through federal and provincial grants, we are working towards increasing our network to include level 3 fast chargers. We are involved in a Southwestern Ontario partnership called Rural Recharge, bringing level 3 chargers to our rural communities in an integrated network. Anticipated installations for Rural Recharge are 2024-2026.