CITY LAUNCHES ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

The City of Pickering has launched its first publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in an effort to support EV ownership and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The project was partially funded through Natural Resources Canada's Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which provided funding to Elexicon Group Inc. to help support the installation of EV chargers across Ontario.

"I'm proud to say that this makes Pickering the first

municipality, east of Toronto and west of Kingston, to offer the convenience of high-speed charging through its two Level 3 chargers, located at the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex (CHDRC)," Mayor Kevin Ashe said.

By providing the fastest type of charging technology on the market, in many cases, a user can charge their EV's battery to 80 per cent in 30 minutes with the Level 3 charger, as opposed

to receiving a full charge in four hours or more with the Level 2.

PUBLIC CHARGING STATION LOCATIONS

• CHDRC (1867 Valley Farm Rd.) — six charging stations

• Pickering Operations Centre (1955 Clements Rd.) — six charging stations

The city has also electrified a number of its own fleet vehicles, with intentions to expand.