Dufferin County installs 24 electric vehicle chargers

Written By Sam Odrowski

Electric Vehicle drivers across Dufferin County are in luck. 

The region's electric charging network, called “Charge Up in Dufferin”, has massively expanded, with 24 electric chargers recently installed, in Orangeville, Shelburne, East Garafraxa, Mono, Mulmur and Melancthon. 

A press conference was held for the announcement of the chargers on Tuesday (Dec. 7) behind the local courthouse, where speeches were shared by dignitaries and a representative of Plug'n Drive, which installed the 24 chargers locally. 

“This is an important stepping stone on our path to net-zero by 2050 in Dufferin. We are gearing up for the future of electric transportation,” said Dufferin County Warden Darren White.

“Dufferin County is in a strong position to contribute to climate mitigation efforts, as municipalities are on the frontline of the climate crisis, and can influence 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.”

Warden White noted that 49 per cent of the county's emissions are from transportation so building up a more robust electric charging network is important for moving consumers towards electric vehicles (EVs) and mitigating local emissions. 

“We do know through consumer interactions, consumer research, that one of the primary barriers to EV adoption is access to public charging infrastructure,” said Dav Cvitkovi, chief operating officer of Plug'n Drive. “It creates what we call that ‘range anxiety'. Well, if I have an EV, where am I going to charge my car? So, efforts such as this goes a long way in building consumer confidence towards purchasing an EV – plain and simple.”

Cvitkovic shared a positive outlook for the future of EVs, noting sales increased through the COVID-19 pandemic, proving it to be a resilient economic driver around the world with no signs of slowing down.

In addition to the 24 EV chargers recently installed, 20 more chargers will be installed throughout Dufferin County be the end of 2022. This was made possible through a second phase of funding through the Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) for $100,000 from the Department of Natural Resources Canada. This funding is in addition to $289,000 provided through ZEVIP to install the first 24 EV chargers.

In the years ahead, Dufferin residents can expect to see more EV chargers, according to Warden White.

“As the number of electric vehicles on the road grows every year, the county looks forward to expanding our charging network as we race towards the net zero future,” he said.  

The Charge Up in Dufferin project is an important move for the county, as the federal government is requiring 100 per cent of car and truck sales to be zero emission vehicles by 2035, said Warden White. 

He added that one out of three automobiles are anticipated to be electric by 2030.

“Here in Ontario, we're fortunate to have 94 per cent emissions free electricity supply. This means that we can make a significant reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions when we shift away from gas powered vehicles to electric ones,” Warden White noted. 

When looking at the evolution of vehicles, he commented on the location of EV chargers in Melancthon, where he serves as mayor.

“Our charger stations are set up right next to our Mennonite hitching post, which is a great dichotomy to show the past, the present and the future coming together,” Warden White remarked.

A map of charging station locations and additional information about the electric vehicles and charging can be accessed at dufferincounty.ca/chargeupindufferin.