TORONTO – The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) today launched the “EV Station Fund” to support installation of up to 294 charging stations across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Applicants will receive technical and financial support, including up to a 50% contribution towards the costs of installation.
Transportation – primarily the gasoline and diesel used in vehicles — is the source of about 35% of the carbon emissions in the GTHA. Electrifying cars and trucks is a key pathway to reaching net zero emissions, but the lack of charging infrastructure is a barrier to EV adoption in the region. TAF’s EV Station Fund aims to serve the community equitably and will prioritize installation of chargers in underserved areas such as on-street parking, community properties, and multi-family residential buildings.
Funding for TAF’s EV Station Fund comes from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), with an investment of $2 million. TAF CEO Julia Langer today joined Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers of Natural Resources and of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, to make the announcement.
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“Electrifying transportation is key to reaching our climate targets and that requires accessible, widely available charging infrastructure. This support from Natural Resources Canada will allow TAF to ensure public, private and non-profit groups across the GTHA have access to the funding and services they need to be a part of this transition.” – Julia Langer, CEO, The Atmospheric Fund
“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in Ontario, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future, and help achieve our climate goals.” – The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources
“It’s time to walk the talk on lowering emissions in the transportation sector. That’s why the federal government is helping expand EV infrastructure across the country, like these chargers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, and supporting Canadians who want to make the switch to an EV. Together, we can achieve Canada’s climate goal of net zero by 2050.” – Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
HIGHLIGHTS
- About 35% of the carbon emissions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area are from transportation and are increasing about 1% per year.
- Find out more about TAF’s EV Station Fund and apply at EV.taf.ca
- EV Station Fund recipients will receive rebates of up to 50% of their EV charger purchase and installation costs.
- Eligible recipients include municipalities, utilities, parking authorities, public institutions, non-profit organizations, and multi-family residential buildings.
- Join a virtual information session to learn more about the EV Station Fund offer on February 10, 2022.
- Learn more about Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP).
ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERIC FUND
The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) is a regional climate agency that invests in low-carbon solutions for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and helps scale them up for broad implementation. We are experienced leaders and collaborate with stakeholders in the private, public and non-profit sectors who have ideas and opportunities for reducing carbon emissions. Supported by endowment funds, we advance the most promising concepts by investing, providing grants, influencing policies and running programs. We’re particularly interested in ideas that offer benefits in addition to carbon reduction such as improving people’s health, creating local jobs, boosting urban resiliency, and contributing to a fair society.
MEDIA CONTACTS
The Atmospheric Fund
Julie Leach, Communications Manager
jleach@taf.ca
416 393 6382
Natural Resources Canada
Media Relations
media@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
343-292-6100
EV station fund: good and important initiative.
A question: Has TAF tried to calculate the estimated additional electricity output required, for the GTA, to service EV recharging stations in the GTA, for whatever proportion of GTA vehicles will be BEVs by, say, 2050? For the prospect that ALL vehicles operating in the GTA will have to be electric when gasoline and diesel are no longer available (by some estimates, late 21st century)?
Toronto has a big advantage over many other major cities in getting almost all of its electricity from nuclear (~61%) and hydro (~27%) as of 2018. Can those current sources handle the extra load from electrification of all GTA vehicles?
I’m working on a paper on sustainability in the GTA beyond fossil fuels for transportation, following on my earlier paper, published in 2018, on ‘Urban energy futures…’ (https://eujournalfuturesresearch.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40309-018-0146-8). That paper used Hong Kong (where I taught for 24 years as a professor in a local university) and Vancouver, B.C., I’m now applying that analysis to the GTA. Any help with the above question, or referrals to other agencies with that expertise, would be much appreciated.
Graeme Lang, Ph.D.,
Professor (until retirement in 2014), Dept. of Asian and International Studies, City University of Hong Kong, and currently member of the Departmental Advisory Committee for the department. Now living in Toronto.