Hundreds of EV chargers to be installed across Windsor-Essex through Charge Up program

As consumers begin the slow process of switching from gas to electric vehicles, investments into charging infrastructure are needed.

A big step in the right direction was announced Wednesday in Windsor as hundreds of new EV chargers are being installed across the region.

“We have committed $4.3 million, are investing $4.3 million to bring battery charging infrastructure here to our community in Windsor-Essex,” Liberal Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk said to a crowd at the University of Windsor.

The federal government has set aggressive targets for electric vehicles. By 2035, all new vehicles sold in Canada should be electric.

But EV’s only make up about seven per cent of vehicles on the road in Ontario.

To help get there, the feds have partnered with local utilities and businesses to split the cost of installing EV chargers.

By December 2024, that $4.3 million investment, to be matched by successful applicants, will help deliver 332 public electric charging stations.

The University of Windsor was a successful applicant in the Charge Up program — run by Essex Powerlines — installing 24 charging stations on campus.

“We're proud to announce that during the incredible success of our recent campaign, the funds dedicated to the expansion of evey charging infrastructure have been fully allocated with an outlook towards 2024,” said Steve Ray, the chief operating office for Essex Powerlines Corporation.

Ray noted there’s actually a waiting list from businesses and institutions looking to join the program to defray the cost of installing chargers for their customers and patrons.

Over the next five years, he admits many more are needed.

“I mean, we're gonna need to be double, triple, quadruple where we're at today,” said Ray.

Kusmierczyk said the success of the program and demand for infrastructure means the federal government will need to commit to more investments locally.

“We're building electric vehicles here in Windsor. We're building electric batteries here in Windsor. So the success and prosperity of our community is now tied to the success of the transition to electric vehicles,” he said. “We need more charging infrastructure.”

Charging is but one hurdle toward the wider adoption of EVs.

The feds have a $5,000 purchase incentive for EV buyers — and Kusmierczyk said it’s time the province did the same.

“We need other partners at all levels,” he said. “You really do need the province of Ontario as well to step up with incentives to help get more people into the driver's seat of electric vehicles.”