More personal EV charging stations could be coming to Brampton as Ontario streamlines utility hook-ups

Brampton is looking for ways to bring more personal electric vehicle charging docks to residents as the province says it’s making it easier to connect with Ontario’s power grid.

The province said on Friday that it will be integrating charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) into the provincial electricity system, bringing a streamlined system to each of Ontario’s 58 local electricity utilities.

The move comes as the city has opened submissions from companies to develop personal EV charging station solutions, potentially expanding electric vehicle charging options in Brampton.

Brampton’s EV charging station pilot program will give companies “an opportunity to test infrastructure to support personal electric vehicles” while encouraging more people to adopt EVs to “lower their carbon footprint while also promoting economic development,” the city says.

The pilot would also align with Ottawa’s recent electric vehicle sales mandate, which aims to see only zero-emission vehicle sales in Canada by 2035.

Brampton MPP and Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria said on Friday that the province’s streamlining project will allow for more accessible public EV charging stations across the province, including for rural and northern communities.

“Our government is paving the way to an electric future by building the EV charging infrastructure drivers need, where they need it,” Sarkaria said in a statement.

The province says streamlining how the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) works with utility providers to standardized the process for setting up EV charging stations, along with a $91 million investment to support the installation of public EV chargers outside of large urban centres in Ontario, and already-installed charging bays at all 20 ONroute stations on Highway 400 and the 401.

The City of Brampton says submissions from interested parties for its EV charging station pilot project are due March 1 at 4 p.m.