Southwestern Ontario’s Wellington County intends to collaborate with neighbouring jurisdictions to establish a regional electric vehicle charging network.
The county’s climate change coordinator explained during Thursday’s planning committee meeting that they are looking to conduct a study to identify gaps in service offerings. Options for extending the network were also explored. If Wellington’s proposal is implemented, it will form a partnership with the City of Guelph and the counties of Perth, Huron, Dufferin, Bruce, and Grey.
The estimated cost would be $70,000, with each municipality required to contribute $5,000, covering half of the costs. To make up the difference, they will apply for a grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund.
The initial plan is to locate EV charging stations near locations with large amounts of visitors, such as tourist attractions and shopping malls. It’s done in the hopes of boosting the local economy and encouraging people to shop locally.
Members of the planning committee were generally excited about the proposal. Municipalities will be expected to pay further if the funding request is denied, but local hydro companies have also shown interest.
However, due to projected population and business growth, there are concerns that hydro capacity might not be sufficient for EV charging stations.
Regardless, there will most likely be a transition toward smaller hydro output and residential solar, which will help to mitigate the strain of development.
Source: Welland Tribute
