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Ontario to invest $20 million in stations to charge up electric cars

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Ontario to invest $20M in fast-charge stations

Newsroom : More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations On The Way

Through the $20 million grant program, the province is seeking public and private sector partners to create a network of fast-charging electric vehicle stations in cities, along highways and at workplaces, apartments, condominiums and public places across Ontario. Full program details will be available later this month.

Maybe Tesla could be one of the "private sector partners" and this could help advance the supercharger network in Ontario. Even if not, this is great news! Might be time to buy that Chademo adaptor soon.

I sent the link to [email protected], asking if they would consider participating.

The news release also had a very encouraging comment from Glen R. Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change:

This initial investment is just the start of many more bold steps we’ll be taking to promote electric cars as a sustainable transportation choice
 
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Maybe Tesla could be one of the "private sector partners" and this could help advance the supercharger network in Ontario. Even if not, this is great news! Might be time to buy that Chademo adaptor soon.

Haven't read the article, but have been involved in some of the Ministry working groups over the past few years. There is definitely a sense that they won't support "proprietary" solutions like the Tesla connector. I think we'll be seeing those CHAdeMO/CSS combo devices as the preferred choice for government sponsored sites.
 
The comments on that article are getting very snarky. Why should a tax payer be subsidizing a $150K Tesla owner!

This is troubling to me. It is something that has caught the attention of the Ministries and they are very sensitive to these kinds of sentiments. There has even been discussion of capping the EV incentive at some level that would basically exclude Teslas. It's kind of the same thinking: "Anyone who can afford a Tesla doesn't need $8,500 from the government".

I'm all for CHAdeMO support. I hope they don't spend a penny on 30A L2 chargers...

As much as this is a Tesla forum and we all love our cars, remember that this is a government initiative to help foster the adoption of all EVs. One of the identified targets for charging is at the workplace. A 30 amp Level 2 bank of chargers would be perfectly suited to these situations. Level 3 charging to support city to city travel is also on the radar, and I'm sure e'll see some Level 3 support, particularly on 400-series highways.
 
Haven't read the article, but have been involved in some of the Ministry working groups over the past few years. There is definitely a sense that they won't support "proprietary" solutions like the Tesla connector. I think we'll be seeing those CHAdeMO/CSS combo devices as the preferred choice for government sponsored sites.

As a Tesla owner, I advocate welfare for generic EV owners, not a group with special interest as the ultimate goal is to "promote EV for generic public" rather than "help people afford a Tesla".
 
As a Tesla owner, I advocate welfare for generic EV owners, not a group with special interest as the ultimate goal is to "promote EV for generic public" rather than "help people afford a Tesla".
Agreed. The only unfortunate thing with missing out on government support is that the Tesla supercharger network may end up being the best multi-manufacturer charging network and it may have the biggest impact on EV adoption in the long run. Elon said that they were having discussions with a European (not German) car company on sharing the supercharger network. Hopefully that will happen and other carmakers will join in, but meanwhile, yes, governments need to focus on generic solutions.
 
One of the identified targets for charging is at the workplace. A 30 amp Level 2 bank of chargers would be perfectly suited to these situations. Level 3 charging to support city to city travel is also on the radar, and I'm sure e'll see some Level 3 support, particularly on 400-series highways.
What is the rationale for charging at the workplace? Is it to allow for folks that can't charge at home to be able to buy electric cars? Because it also causes a problem which is to increase peak demand as it incents (assuming no cost to charge at work) EV owners to charge at work during primetime rather than at home in the middle of the night.
 
The availability of charging stations isn't the biggest real barrier to EV adoption, but it's probably the biggest perceived barrier, in the minds of non-EV-owners. Even people who could put a charging station in their garage have the impression that there won't be enough places to charge. That's a real issue for some people (e.g. commuters who need a charge to get back home), a perceived issue for others, and the stations will be needed anyway as EV adoption grows, so I think this initiative is worthwhile. It would be great if governments could tackle the real biggest issue with EV adoption - the limited selection of car models at various price points - but that's a lot harder to address. Consumer demand needs to be there and the carmakers need to see profit, which will come only with scale, so purchaser incentives to accelerate market growth are the best bet.
 
The availability of charging stations isn't the biggest real barrier to EV adoption, but it's probably the biggest perceived barrier, in the minds of non-EV-owners.

A Car Dealers Won’t Sell: It’s Electric http://nyti.ms/1ji3ew8


The real barrier to EV adoption is that Big Auto and their dealership network are sabotaging the transition to EV.

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It would be great if governments could tackle the real biggest issue with EV adoption - the limited selection of car models at various price points - but that's a lot harder to address. Consumer demand needs to be there and the carmakers need to see profit, which will come only with scale, so purchaser incentives to accelerate market growth are the best bet.

http://evroadmapconference.com/program/presentations15/OlaElvestuen.pdf

Government incentives in Norway have resulted in an increased selection of EV's in that market (similar to California).
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the stations will be needed anyway as EV adoption grows, so I think this initiative is worthwhile.

200 mile EV's will be widely available starting 2016/17...and who knows by 2020...300 mile? Tesla is paying their own way on chargers (and have offered to share).
 
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Log In - The New York Times

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http://evroadmapconference.com/program/presentations15/OlaElvestuen.pdf

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200 mile EV's will be widely available starting 2016/17...and who knows by 2020...300 mile? Tesla is paying their own way on chargers (and have offered to share).

I think I get what you're saying, but just a suggestion: it would be a lot easier to understand your points if you made them in your post (along with a link if appropriate) rather than just posting a link.
 
What is the rationale for charging at the workplace? Is it to allow for folks that can't charge at home to be able to buy electric cars? Because it also causes a problem which is to increase peak demand as it incents (assuming no cost to charge at work) EV owners to charge at work during primetime rather than at home in the middle of the night.

Well, if I couldn't afford a Tesla, and could only afford a Soul EV, Leaf, Focus EV etc. I couldn't do the round-trip to work in it. I would need to plug in at work in order to be able to get home again. I know of several people who are in this situation. Workplace charging (or lack thereof) is considered to be a major barrier to EV adoption.

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The availability of charging stations isn't the biggest real barrier to EV adoption, but it's probably the biggest perceived barrier, in the minds of non-EV-owners.

Yep. In order to move people in the gas car paradigm over to electric, they need to "see" public infrastructure out there just like they do gas stations.
 
Fast/L3 chargers would still benefit the EV community in general, not only Teslas. Other EVs can use CHAdeMO without the need of an adapter, and it benefits them really well, especially in their case as they frequently need to recharge.

I personally drive to Ottawa a lot, and since I no longer have a home charger there, I struggle to recharge to be able to reach Kingston. 30A chargers are really slow, and they take forever. And some of them have a limit of 2 hours, and that would give me around 60km, which is nothing! Or I will need to drive long distance just to be able to use a fast charger and that alone takes from the range that I really need.

CHAdeMO in my opinion is the way to go, Tesla or not.

I would leave L2 chargers for companies for their employees or executives, or at home since the car is parked overnight anyway.
 
200 mile EV's will be widely available starting 2016/17...and who knows by 2020...300 mile? Tesla is paying their own way on chargers (and have offered to share).

I think that is wildly optimistic, on both counts. It's like saying the Tesla Model X will be available in 2014. Yeah, at one point, that was the plan.

It's been nearly 4 years and the biggest battery size has gone from 85 kWh to 90. Really, we're going to see affordable EVs within two years with a range near to what a Model S has today? Really?

Update: the 2016 LEAF realistically has a range of less than 200 km. That's way, way less than 320 km (200 miles). 2016 Nissan Leaf Range: 107 Or 155 Miles? Why Test Cycles Can Be Deceptive
 
One thing in the article that caught my eye was the mention of " [FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif]fast-charging electric vehicle stations in cities, along highways and at workplaces, apartments, condominiums and public places across Ontario."
The mention of apartments and condominiums is a good sign. If people can put chargers or plugs in their parking spot at their condo or apartment,it should help (so condo boards won't be able to stop it).

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