1. There are gaps in public…

1. There are gaps in public EV charging infrastructure within Muskoka, especially since so many cottagers go north in the summers, the infrastructure cannot support the population seasonally. There are not enough chargers in Muskoka to support the local population having their own EVs.

2. Most useful locations are where people are naturally stopping during their trips, i.e. malls, food stops along highways, work. Most useful either during trips of 2+ hours or at the place of work so that individuals can charge while at work. Within rural communities it is important to have the chargers in accessible locations and central in the community, potentially near a community center. The most useful would be a level 2 or level 3 DCFC charger at these locations to reduce wait times.

3. Challenges around public EV charging in Ontario is lack of awareness around cost of charging/length of charge time/frequency of charging required. The government could help address this by working on public education to improve awareness around this issue and by providing more resources around the locations of chargers and ease of home charger install. The Government of Ontario should follow suit to BC and other provinces that provide substantial rebates on chargers and EVs, this would drastically increase uptake. The challenge in rural communities is deciding where to put the public EV chargers to maximize use and minimize public frustration, the government could facilitate local polls within rural communities to determine the community’s preferred location of the suitable locations.