Electric vehicle rebate among staff proposals to speed up Toronto’s target to become a carbon neutral city
By KAREN MORRIS July 10, 2013
The number of electric vehicles in Toronto continues to grow steadily and the city is making plans to create electric car charging infrastructure, said TTC staff on Monday.
The transit agency is developing an Action Plan to achieve its emissions goals by 2050, which include installing and operating the required infrastructure and promoting zero-emission vehicles through programs like the electric vehicle rebate program.
The Electric Vehicle Rebate program, launched at the end of 2011, was developed in partnership between the TTC, the city, the TTC Electric Vehicle Fund and the company Ontario Power Generation (OPG), and allows eligible consumers to apply for up to $3,000 in rebates for electric hybrids, electric vehicles and other e-vehicles they purchase over the next two years.
For staff to begin formulating an electric vehicle plan for the TTC, the agency is preparing to submit a proposal to the city for the Electric Vehicle Rebate program — a long-term proposal that will take 10 years to complete.
One of the main barriers to creating infrastructure for electric vehicles is the cost, said TTC general manager Joe Mihevc. This is because the cost of converting existing charging stations to be able to re-use the existing cables connecting them was estimated to be $13 million. Since the TTC currently has the lowest rate of any municipal transit agency in the world, including London, with a network of just 65 stations and five bus routes, many of those bus routes are too far to be electrified.
The TTC is currently working with the TTC Electric Vehicle Fund to estimate the cost of adding 500 e-vehicle charging stations across the organization and to determine the impact this would have on battery technology, said OPG CEO Steve Kean.
Currently, the TTC is taking a pragmatic approach to electric vehicle infrastructure, said Mihevc. The organization has already made a start with the Green Energy Vehicle Hub, which is the first step