Could electric vehicle chargers in city-owned parking lots help replace gas stations?
Green P parking lots could help establish the City of Toronto as a for-profit fuel provider, replacing gas stations when the electric vehicle revolution really takes off.
That’s the dream of Councillor Mike Layton, one of the Toronto Parking Authority board members behind a partnership with Toronto Hydro to expand and upgrade EV chargers in city-owned lots.
But that requires the city and its electric distribution utility to embrace change and make early investments, including now when spots reserved for EVs will sometimes sit empty, he said.
“We could cut out that whole traditional gasoline infrastructure,” by ensuring public provision of electricity and charging infrastructure, earning profits while helping reduce harmful emissions, he said.
“Let’s be innovative on this, let’s be more aggressive in our market capture,” the Ward 11 University-Rosedale councillor said. “Let’s think like capitalists, but the gains are for our society.
“We should encourage Toronto Hydro to make those investments now for the long-term benefits to the environment and to our bottom line,” while figuring out how to cope with a huge boost in demand.
The TPA-Hydro pilot project will replace nine existing free chargers in Green P lots with faster-charging “Level 2” devices with a fee, likely $2 an hour.
Another 20 Level 2 chargers will be added at other lots, plus three Level 3 ultra-fast chargers, for a total of 32 in the city lots.
“As North America’s largest municipally owned parking operator, TPA has a unique opportunity to jump-start the penetration of EV chargers across its asset base in order to accelerate the electrification of both personal and commercial vehicles in support of the City of Toronto’s EV strategy and (greenhouse gas reduction) TransformTO vision,” says a parking authority staff report.
But Toronto is behind the curve, Anu Aduvala, the parking authority’s vice-president of operations, told board members at a recent meeting where they approved the expansion.
“TPA currently lags other smaller municipalities in EV deployment, with Calgary Parking Authority at 46 Level 2 chargers, Oakville soon to be at 46 and even Pearson airport on its own has a mix of 53 Level 3 and Level 2 charging stations,” Aduvala said.
“We’re fully aware that 32 is not the number for Toronto Parking Authority to settle on,” she added, saying usage data collected from the new chargers will help guide expansion plans.
Toronto Hydro is buying the hardware, a cost partly covered by a $250,000 grant from National Resources Canada’s zero emission vehicle infrastructure program. TPA is covering some other costs.
The chargers are expected to be in use on average six hours a day and generate a profit on power sold that will flow to Hydro to help cover costs of the program. At the end of the pilot, the parking authority will have an option to buy the charging infrastructure from Hydro.
The project follows another partnership, between Hydro, the city and charge station maker FLO, testing use of chargers at 17 parking spots on residential streets in different neighbourhoods.
On-street and parking lot chargers could help Torontonians who want EVs but have no driveway where they can put home chargers.
Ontario and its biggest city lag behind regions, notably B.C. and Quebec, in making investments to hurry and profit from the switch to vehicles that don’t emit greenhouse gases.
Source: thestar
