Show Toronto Council how much demand there is for EV charging.
How is Toronto doing with its on-street EV charging goals?
Toronto needs to increase EV usership to 30% of all vehicles by 2030 to meet climate goals under TransformTO, but without a reliable and convenient on-street charging network, residents who don’t have garages or driveways cannot make the switch. Toronto’s five-year pilot is lagging behind with only 17 on-street spots, compared to 775 in Montreal. Toronto recently announced another 32 chargers will be installed in 2022 – an excellent step forward – but we’ll need a lot more than that to meet the targets.
How much demand is there in Toronto?
Over 1,000 Toronto residents responded to a TAF survey this month (thank you!) which found that:
81% want their next vehicle to be an EV, and 30% don’t have the option to charge at home.
76% of Toronto residents would only buy an EV if reliable and convenient public charging is available within a five-minute walk from their home.
Tell Council we need at least 100 new chargers installed in 2023
Take action by sending a letter to the Infrastructure & Environment Committee before their meeting on
May 25, 2022.
Sample Letter
To: iec@toronto.ca
CC: Your Councillor [Find your councillor]
I’m a resident of ward ___, and [describe your situation, e.g., I don’t have a driveway or garage, I represent an organization that would benefit from more chargers, or I’d like to drive an electric car but can’t due to lack of charging – be specific about what this means to you/ your organization].
I support Toronto developing a faster and more effective network of convenient, publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to enable more EVs and reduce carbon emissions and air pollution.
The TransformTO Net Zero Strategy targets 30% of vehicles registered in Toronto to be electric by 2030, but only 17 chargers have been installed on the street. This means very few Toronto residents without garages or driveways can drive EVs. Toronto is moving in the right direction by announcing 32 new on-street chargers to be installed this year, but to meet the rising demand for EVs, we need faster action. To achieve the City’s EV targets, we need at least 200 on-street chargers by 2025, increasing to at least 1,155 in 2030.
I request your support to increase on-street public EV charging immediately, with a minimum target of 100 new chargers in 2023. Removing barriers to EV uptake is critical for Toronto to meet its climate goals, reduce transportation emissions, and encourage EV adoption for a net zero future.
Sincerely,
[Your name/ address]