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Private company to install EV charger on Lakeview Court

May 24, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Electric Vehicle (EV) owners in Orangeville will soon have access to a “high level” public charging station here in town.

At its most recent meeting on May 13, Town Council signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario-based energy solutions firm Baseload Power Corp. with a view to installing a Level Three EV charging station on Lakeview Court, just off Highway 10.

Installation and maintenance of the site will not cost the Town a dime. Instead, Baseload Power Corp. will cover the entirety of the approximately $200,000 cost. According to Ashley Hamilton, Director of Development with Baseload Power Corp., the charger will be offered to residents “at the going, market rate”, which, right now, is roughly $20 per hour. She estimates the station will be able to provide a full charge to all EVs in between 18 and 25 minutes, meaning residents should expect to pay, at most, $7 per use.

There is currently one Level Two charging station set up outside Town Hall. This station is available to the public at a cost of $2.50 per hour, with a full charge expected to take anywhere between two and four hours.

“This station that we are proposing to bring to Orangeville is a big step up from the Level Two sites, which are more common across the province. Because of how quickly a Level Three station can charge vehicles, we believe this site will be used by multiple drivers throughout the day,” Ms. Hamilton said. “The station will come with a universal plug, so can be used by any EV. We’ll also be building a cellular connection into the station, so people will be able to see when it is in use and when it’s available.”

Ms. Hamilton noted this was a ten-year agreement. Over the course of the term, Baseload Power Corp. will be responsible for “any and all costs” associated with running the site, which includes electricity usage charges, site maintenance and station maintenance/repairs. At the end of the ten-year term, it was agreed that the organization would decommission the site and restore it.

Several other communities are in the process of signing agreements with Baseload Power Corp. Ms. Hamilton noted similar arrangements were in place with the Township of Essa and Wasaga Beach. The likes of Collingwood, Bradford, Inisfill and Oro Medonte were considering partnerships, while Ms. Hamilton plans to meet with Councils from Kincardine and Grey Highlands shortly.

A particular selling point for the Town, Ms. Hamilton said, is that they will reap some financial reward from the stations installation and subsequent usage. It’s estimated the municipality will receive in the region of $6,000 in royalties over the station’s ten-year lifetime.

“I’m a huge proponent of this idea. I’m a firm believer in electric vehicles,” Coun. Joe Andrews noted. “The location chosen is a high traffic corridor. It’s one where having a Level Three charging station would make a lot of sense. A lot of colleagues of mine who travel back and forth to Toronto, one of the big things they rely on is having the ability to have their vehicle charged in a very short period of time. This station would help a lot of people in that regard.”

After receiving the necessary approval from Council, Ms. Hamilton noted the next step is for Baseload Power Corp. to submit an application for funding through Natural Resources Canada. Subject to federal government approval, she projected the station will be installed and ready for use by the end of 2020.

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