Public Charging Infrastructure in Toronto

[mknox]

Okay, so we now actually have some local charging infrastructure.

We have a bit around the Toronto area, but mostly at GM and Nissan dealerships who say their facilities are "open to the public". I commute to the Waterloo Region, and there is a public station at the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo.

[Doug_G]

We have a bit around the Toronto area, but mostly at GM and Nissan dealerships who say their facilities are "open to the public". I commute to the Waterloo Region, and there is a public station at the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo.

Can you provide a list of known-available stations? I don't trust the charge databases because there seem to be a lot that aren't actually available to the public (or that even exist).

[Krugerrand]

We have a bit around the Toronto area, but mostly at GM and Nissan dealerships who say their facilities are "open to the public". I commute to the Waterloo Region, and there is a public station at the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo.

That's unusual. People usually commute the other way.

[mknox]

That's unusual. People usually commute the other way.

I know, and I love seeing those long lines of traffic in the opposite direction each morning and evening!

[mknox]

Can you provide a list of known-available stations? I don't trust the charge databases because there seem to be a lot that aren't actually available to the public (or that even exist).

Doug, I actually live in Brampton, but usually just say Toronto or GTA in international forums like this. As such, I have looked at facilities in and around Brampton, and have found a few:

Chevy dealer at Queen St. and Airport Rd. (just a bit north of Hwy 407)
Mitsubishi dealer at Hwy 10 and Bovaird Dr.
Mitsubishi Head Office in the Hwy 401 and Dixie Rd. area (near the airport).

The Mitsubishi Head Office is probably the most useful right along the busy 401 corridor. They have a high power CHAdeMO port and two J1772 ports (not sure of amperage) and it has received a number of positive reviews on PlugShare. I may swing by and snap a few pictures, just for yuks.

I often travel to downtown Toronto on business and have not found very good facilities there. Have just seen the odd station in the odd parking garage that is usually out of service, dedicated to some tenant's vehicle or otherwise unusable.

I work in Cambridge (Senior Exec at the electric utility there) and we have a 30-amp J1772 station, but it is in our locked yard and dedicated to our fleet Chevy Volt. I would like to see us install a public station to show our support of EVs, but we have not done so as yet. The nearest public station to me in Cambridge is at the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, but that is a fair bit north of the 401, and way out of my way.

London Hydro has a 2-port public station at their Head Office on Horton St. Unfortunately, this is a significant distance north of the 401 for those travelling through the area.

They are re-building the two Service Centers (one on each side of the highway) on the 401 just east of Cambridge. I heard (but have not confirmed) that some sort of EV charging infrastructure is going in there. This would be a perfect spot for a Supercharger station!

In addition to Toronto and the Waterloo Region, I also travel on occasion to Muskoka, but have not seen any infrastructure there. Not a big deal, because I would just plug in at the cottage anyway.

I also on occasion drive to Chicago to visit my daughter, but that'll be a trip for the ICE car until Tesla has some sort of Supercharger network along that corridor.

With the exception of Chicago, I’m confident the 85 kWh battery will get me everywhere I need to go and back on a charge with room to spare for things like snowy, winter drives with the heat on, unexpected side trips and some more “spirited” driving (not the steady 55 MPH that Tesla bases its range on). As such, my charging will be done mostly at home, and these public stations are really just a curiosity for me at this point.

I have to throw in the caveat that I don’t have an EV yet, and so can’t personally vouch for any of the infrastructure I’ve mentioned.

[mknox]

Here are a couple of shots of the Mitsubishi public charge station just off the 401 near Pearson Airport in Toronto.

The station had an "Out of Order" sign on it. I asked an employee at the site who said it had just gone out today, and they would have it fixed as soon as they could. I guess this is a risk when you "assume" a site will be available, and it's not.

Mike

[Duckjybe]

I vote for a Supercharger at Webers on hwy 11. They even have an old non functioning wind mill that the charger could sit under for great symbolism. There is a Voltec charger at the Chevy in Huntsville (beside the Tim Hortons and Swiss Chalet) but not sure if it is usable by the general public. There are a few chargers in Burlington, one at Mapleview mall.

I tried to plug in my volt at the Sheraton in Toronto. The two stations are charge point with J1772 and a 110 outlet in each. The J1772 were both being used by a Karma and a Leaf. I asked to use the 110 but they didnt know about it and then upon further inquirys wouldn't let me use it citing the fuse couldn't handle it. I would be surprised if this were the case.

[Doug_G]

I tried to plug in my volt at the Sheraton in Toronto. The two stations are charge point with J1772 and a 110 outlet in each. The J1772 were both being used by a Karma and a Leaf. I asked to use the 110 but they didnt know about it and then upon further inquirys wouldn't let me use it citing the fuse couldn't handle it. I would be surprised if this were the case.

Neither the Karma nor the Leaf draw anywhere near full circuit capacity... but more to the point a 110V outlet would be on a different circuit than a 220V charger.

[dj905]

In downtown Toronto, Brookfield Place (Front and Yonge) has several dedicated EV parking spots, in addition to hybrid parking. The EV spots have Eaton chargers with J1772. I have used this site with the Volt, but not the Roadster.
TIFF Bell Lightbox has one J1772 charger, but it is often in use with an Autoshare car (Chevy Volt). They also advertise 110v receptacles for EV charging, however, my roadster always complains that the power is not sufficient (says that I am using a long extension cord).

Near the Toronto airport, the Nissan head office has four dedicated EV parking spots with J1772 Leaf chargers. I tried one of them on the weekend, and it worked well, but there isn't much to do in this area (lots of office buildings).

David