With gas prices nearing all-time highs, the Ontario government announced plans on Tuesday to spend $91 million to install electronic vehicle chargers and make them more accessible.
“Our government is making smart investments in electric vehicle manufacturing and charging infrastructure to support the growing demand, to ensure that charging is convenient and accessible for all Ontarians who choose to use them,” wrote Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Dakota Brasier in an email.
This investment will see chargers installed on highway rest stops, carpool parking lots, Ontario Parks, and in community hubs like hockey arenas and municipal parks. Sixty-nine fast chargers will be installed across 23 ON route locations.
University of Toronto Professor Matthew Hoffmann thinks that could help alleviate fears many drivers have about electric vehicles.
“One thing that research on electric vehicle uptake tends to show is that people do worry about range anxiety, in terms of how far they can go on a charge and will they be able to charge their cars,” he said.
Deputy Green party leader Abhijeet Manay told Humber News the thinks these investments are overdue.
“All of these things needed to be done five-ten years ago, unfortunately, we’re just playing catch up because our premier didn’t have the vision or the force,” said Manay.
“The premier is recognizing finally where the puck is going because the transition to electric vehicle revolution is happening.”
He thinks more could be done to make electric cars more affordable.
Vehicles currently on the market cost between $37,000 to $100,000 and upwards.
“We have to make sure that we are producing a lot of these vehicles in Ontario because when you produce them locally, decreases the cost because you’re doing it in Canadian dollars,” said Manay.
U of T Professor Danny Harvey told Humber News that the demand for electric vehicles needs to be created and supply needs to be promoted, however, the province might be moving too fast.
Harvey said that fuel efficiency needs to be pushed first as he has concerns over the sustainability of the batteries used in electric vehicles.
“We need to let electric vehicles take their time and technology improvements in terms of material requirements, and we have to have a recycling system in place. It’s politically flashy to promote electric vehicles,” said Harvey.