The Town of Georgina…

The Town of Georgina investigated the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure program with the August 11 2022 submission deadline. We held many internal and external stakeholder meetings, and decided not to apply for a number of reasons that we feel is important feedback when considering the next round of funding. Our experience-based feedback:

The minimum number of chargers, cost-share requirements, and timelines meant that the investment was too large and unattainable (approval timeline-wise) for our municipality.

Based on real-world numbers, our calculated project costs per Type 2 Dual-Head charger (two connectors) were as follows: $15,000 per unit + average of $50,000 in infrastructure upgrades per location + $1,000 per year in operating costs. These are based on actuals. Therefore, the minimum cost for purchase, installation, and operation per location was $66,000. The funding only covered $10,000 per dual head charger ($5,000 per connector).

In order to meet the minimum requirements, we identified 6 locations to install 11 chargers (totaling 22 connectors). The total project cost was therefore calculated at $476,000, with $110,000 contribution from the ZEVI grant. The differential was simply too large to justify the application.

In addition, when asking for municipal budget contributions, there is an annual budget cycle that occurs. As the application deadline was in August, we were not able to include the ask in any Council process, as budgetary approval takes place in January of each year.

Finally, the project timelines were two short to accommodate the effort required. Infrastructure upgrades to accommodate charger infrastructure is a timely and costly endeavour. We would be very stretched to install over 10 chargers at 6 locations in 3 years.

Our recommendations:
1. Increase funding per charger or allow infrastructure upgrade costs to be included as eligible expenses to reduce contribution needed from applicant
2. Provide longer project implementation timelines (3-5 years) to accommodate the intensive infrastructure upgrades needed
3. Increase the length of time that the application process is open for - or have an open, ongoing intake process - to accommodate fixed, annual municipal budget cycles