1. Where are the geographic…

1. Where are the geographic areas in Ontario where there are gaps in public EV charging infrastructure?
• Anywhere more than 40km from a 400-series highway
• Islands with settlements (i.e. Prince Edward County, Wolfe Island, Manitoulin etc.)
• In general, rural Eastern Ontario appears to have less EV charging infrastructure than rural Western Ontario
• Rural tourism/cottage country destinations in Eastern Ontario such as Prince Edward County, Kawartha, Haliburton, 1000 Islands

2. In what kinds of situations are public EV chargers most useful (e.g., type of trip, length of trip, type of charging location)?
• Tourism day-trips without overnight accommodations - e.g. a daytrip from Toronto to Prince Edward County and back would require charging for most vehicles
• Tourism travel with overnight stays at accommodations that do not provide private charging infrastructure - i.e. short term accommodations, B&Bs provide a large percentage of overnight accommodations in rural areas and may not have EV infrastructure installed or may not permit guests to use hydro for charging (only 5% of listings on Air BnB for PEC have EV chargers available to guests)
• Travel from rural towns/areas to nearby larger centres for shopping, medical appointments etc. I.e. travel from Picton to Belleville is more than plug-in hybrids can do on a full battery. Travel to Kingston from Picton and back for a medical appointment might require a top up for some vehicles.

3. What are the challenges with increasing public EV charging in Ontario and how could the government help address those challenges?
• Regional collaborations for small municipalities can lead to volume discounts and/or improved negotiations with networks, and access to federal funding. Government could promote regional collaboration through the funding policy.
• Cost difference between Level 2 and Level 3 chargers is significant at this time. Level 3 chargers would be good in smaller/rural municipalities where longer distances need to be travelled between home and amenities, and where there are fewer amenities that allow you to "kill time" while you get a full charge on a Level 2. Funding policy could support smaller municipalities to invest in faster chargers. The economics of the Level 3 charger in smaller centres is difficult to justify as there aren't as many EV drivers to recoup costs as there are in larger centres.
• The EV charging landscape can be complicated with many options and lots of decisions to make. The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre in Alberta has published excellent guides to EV charging infrastructure, and something similar could be created in Ontario with Ontario-specific content. https://mccac.ca/learning-centre/ev-charging-install-and-operations-gui…
• Rural communities have strong "car cultures," and may be slow to transition to EV culture without policy and funding to support them. Focusing on rural Ontario and the distinct needs of these communities is a welcome focus for this program.