Ajax is a suburban community…

Ajax is a suburban community which is home to 120,000 residents. Located on the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area it is a community that relies on privately owned vehicles as the primary mode of transportation. The Town understands the challenges in reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation sector, and as a result has been heavily involved in providing the infrastructure and awareness to encourage the uptake of sustainable transportation including Electric Vehicles (EV’s).

The Town of Ajax is pleased to support the goals surrounding the Province’s Climate Change Action Plan. In order to further support the uptake of EVs please find below comments and suggestions specific to the Discussion paper: Electric Vehicle Incentives, Infrastructure and Awareness.

Discussion Question Response

Section 7.1. Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (EVIP)

What should the government tie the EV purchase incentives to (e.g., vehicle tailpipe GHG emissions, battery size, technology type, etc.) in order to support a significant growth in EV sales and GHG emissions reductions?

It is recommended that the purchase incentive is tied to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This will continue to create awareness of an individual’s impact on climate, whilst providing a financial incentive to consider greenhouse gas emissions when making a vehicle purchase.

How should the government adjust the current 30 per cent MSRP incentive cap and the$3,000 cap on vehicles with an MSRP of $75,000 and above in order to promote EV sales and GHG emission reductions in a fiscally responsible manner (e.g. remove the cap? Relax the cap)?

Larger luxury non EV vehicles tend to consume more fuel and therefore release larger quantities of GHG emissions. At this time the best technology for EVs remains above the $75,000 price tag. In order to encourage uptake of newer cleaner technology, the incentive amount should be based on the largest savings regardless of price tag. Providing an incentive for all EVs over $75,000 will demonstrate the provinces support for newer cleaner technology. This also provides an incentive for vehicle manufacturers to continue to reduce the emissions created by their products and reduce the cost of their product as these products become more competitive with non EVs.

Do you think these caps influence an EV buyer’s decision to purchase an EV or a specific type of EV?

Staff at the Town of Ajax have received feedback that the incentive programs play a heavy factor both purchasing and determining the type of EV. This correspondence has been received from fleet managers and from members of the public.
How can the government adjust the EVCIP to benefit even more EV owners?

•Provide an incentive for all EV’s purchases that result in a GHGs savings when compared with emission standards of an equivalent vehicle including those that cost more than $75,000.
•Adjust the amounts that is eligible to acquire based on their GHG savings.
•Consider making EV purchases eligible for an income tax credit.
•Consider waiving fees for EV’s on public toll roads in Ontario.
Section 7.2. Electric Vehicle Chargers Ontario Program (EVCO)

What program features (e.g., eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, technical requirements) should be considered in a program to deploy charging stations at workplaces, multi-unit residential buildings, downtowns and town centres?

It is recommended that the EVCO process be separated into specific streams with separate applications for the following:

•Publically accessible charging infrastructure (retail facilities, transit stations, hotels, service stations etc.),
•Work place charging infrastructure (private fleet use, not publically accessible),
•Multi residential charging infrastructure,
•Government /publicly owned facilities (publically accessible, community centres, government offices, municipal parking lots).

By separating the application and outlining the exact specifications and goals for each stream would provide a more collaborative community based approach for implementing electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It would also assist with removing the element of “competition” for grant money.

It is recommended that the local municipalities or LDC’s have the option to review or rate the EVCO applications being submitted for consideration. Due to local governments in depth knowledge of the community and LDC’s knowledge of supporting infrastructure, this review stage would assist the Ministry’s decision when awarding funds, helping to assure that applicants are receiving funds where it best supports the needs of the community.

Specifically for multi-residential and workplaces:

For multi-use and residential workplaces it would be beneficial to have a year round incentive program to install Electric Vehicle Chargers (EVC’s). This would encourage new developments to consider the infrastructure at the time where it is most cost effective to install.

Who are best positioned to implement the installation of charging infrastructure?

The organizations best positioned to implement EVC installations depends on whether the EVC is being implemented for local use or for province wide stations

Community Based- In Town EVC’s
In order to ensure the best results from installation, the location and the type of unit needs to be considered. On a community scale, local government, LDC’s, and other public bodies usually have a good understanding of the community and will likely suggest locations where and EVC would see the largest benefit on both public and private property. Local business also play an important role and can contribute greatly to providing EVC especially areas that include retail plaza’s, hotels, and Business Improvement Areas .

Province Wide EVC’s
For larger province wide programs (i.e. level 3 chargers along major highways) it is important to consider organizations who have a good understanding of the transportation needs across the province, as well as the EV sector. Have the purchasing ability to acquire long lasting quality technology, in the timelines outlined in the grant program and, have demonstrated experience with implementing charging stations in wide range of locations.

Installation
It is important to ensure that the EVCO supports the local economy. This could be achieved by running a contractor participation list similar to that of the “Save On Energy, Heating and Cooling Incentive” ran by the IESO. Not only would this support applicants who are not well versed in the technology but it would also help to ensure that the technology is installed properly.

For more information on the IESO program visit
https://saveonenergy.ca/Consumer/Programs/HVAC-Rebates/Contractor-Parti…

How should funding for charging stations be structured and/or capped? What value(s) of cap(s) should be applied?

An ongoing incentive for purchasing the EVC should remain all year round.

If a grant program is going to remain, then costs to cover both the purchase and installation of a station is greatly beneficial. However, there should be a cap for the application for both level 2 and 3 charging stations. The exact cap should be based on the average cost required for implementation of charging stations that took place in the 2016 EVCO program.

How can government best engage workplaces, condos and apartments to participate in the EVCO program?

A simplified application program designed specifically for these streams of application may further entice applications from these types of locations. It would also be beneficial if the provincial government created and distributed education and awareness material highlighting the benefits of installing EVC’s.

How should government ensure that Local Distribution Companies are involved in EVCO applications?

There should be a separate stream under the EVCO program for Local Government and LDC EVC grant applications.

Local municipalities and LDC’s should be provided with the option to review or rate EVCO applications (not including local government or LDC applications) to determine their suitability, and determine if the power infrastructure exists to support the installation.

LDC’s could play an important role in promoting EV’s as a major way in which Ontario can further reduce GHGs and move towards a cleaner energy system.

What aspects of the first round of EVCO do you feel should be repeated or done differently?

In summary:
•A longer timeline for the application process,
•Greater promotion of the program through the distribution of promotional material,
•More detailed description of the evaluation to support the application form,
•A broken down application process depending on whether it’s a public, workplace, multi residential or government application.

Section 7.3. Education and Awareness EV Educational Campaigns

What are your current perceptions related to EVs? How can government help in improving perceptions related to EVs, and help consumers better understand the benefits of EVs?

One of the largest challenges still remains the availability of electric vehicles at dealerships, particularly in Ontario. In order to overcome this, it is proposed that the Province develop an incentive program aimed towards dealerships who stock electric vehicles.

Range anxiety is still a major concern for vehicle owners. Additional charging stations in public places are still required to help overcome this barrier.

Pricing information for EVC’s for personal/ residential is limited. This could be overcome through the creation and distribution of educational material to homeowners. A role in which Local Utilities/ NGO’s/ Municipalities could support in sharing information.

Finally, many misconceptions still remain surrounding the ability and costs required to service and repair EV’s. It is recommended that the Province encourages EV’s suppliers to continue to offer warranty’s as well as publicize service pricing.

What innovative education and/or awareness programs or policies, currently operating in other jurisdictions that provide support for the adoption of EVs, could be applied in Ontario?

•Toll road cost reduction / elimination for EV vehicles that hold a green plate.
•Income tax credit for purchases of EV’s.

Who should the government be partnering and collaborating with to deliver an EV educational campaign?

Vehicle manufacturers, Non-governmental and environmental organizations, LDC’s, Local municipalities, Companies that have large fleets.

To increase education and awareness of the benefits of EVs, what forms of communication and key messages should the government consider to reach an audience beyond the EV community?

•Advertisement of programs via radio & social media,
•Educational booths at car shows,
•A brochure created highlighting the available incentives that can be distributed to local communities through LDC’s, local government and NGO’s,
•More EV car shows and test drive opportunities.
•Further promotion & expansion of the Plug n’ Drive Electrify Your Ride guide to electric cars.

What are potential tools that can be used to increase the availability of EV models on the showroom floor, for test drives and for purchase at dealerships?

•A rebate program for dealerships who sell electric vehicles (incentive provided once customer received the vehicle).
•Grant programs for community organizations to host electric vehicle events, workshops in partnership with NGO’s like the Windfall Ecology Centre and Plug N’ Drive.
•An online interactive mapping inventory that advertises dealerships who have EV’s in stock across the province.

What supportive mechanisms and/or incentives should the government provide to EV salespeople and dealerships in order to increase EV sales?

•An incentive program for dealerships for each electric vehicle sold at a local dealership,
•A website setup for dealerships to advertise EV vehicles with a map showing in stock vehicles across the province.
•Development of an online training certification program for vehicle sales people to help them further understand the benefits of an EV. This should not just be focused at new dealerships but used as well.

Private Fleet Awareness Campaign

How can we effectively raise awareness of EVs and EV incentives to private fleets?

•Encourage dealerships to offer a loan/ rental program that allows fleets to trial the use of electric vehicles.

•Encourage post-secondary institutions to develop training programs on servicing and maintaining EV’s and provide incentive for fleet mechanics to undertake this programming. By providing exiting professionals with the technical understanding of EV’s it may create additional support for this type of vehicle.

•Include EV’s as a way to offset CO2 emissions under the Cap and Trade Program.

•Develop educational material that can be shared with local government who can pass on to local businesses with large fleets within their community.

•Provide educational material surrounding the potential economic/ environmental savings of adopting green fleet initiatives.

What elements should be included in a decision-making tool or cost calculator help fleets consider purchasing an EV?

•Cost of purchase
•Vehicle Availability
•Lifespan of the vehicle
•Warranty
•Service costs
•Reliability

The Town of Ajax would like to commend the Ministry of Transportation and the Province of Ontario for the role which it is playing to support the uptake of low and zero emission vehicles, allowing to continue the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Town of Ajax believes that the incorporation of the amendments to the EVIP and EVCO recommendations will greatly advance Ontario’s leadership position in the emerging clean transportation.

[Original Comment ID: 196518]