Mayor Drew Dilkens was joined by ENWIN Utilities, City of Windsor administration, and members of the Electric Vehicle Society Windsor-Essex to announce the addition of 22 new level two electric vehicle (EV) charging spaces citywide. This expansion of EV infrastructure is part of advancing the goals of the City of Windsor’s economic diversification plan, Windsor Works, and our Community Energy Plan.

The new charging stations will be installed on municipal properties located at strategic locations throughout Windsor to make it easier and more convenient for drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles to charge up. Each of the 11 stations features a dual connector capable of charging two electric vehicles at once, for a total of 22 charging spaces. During this initial stage, the service will be available to drivers free of charge and will allow administration to collect data to help determine the future needs of Windsor’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

This $525,000 investment is supported by in-kind contributions from ENWIN Utilities. Construction of the first station, located at Municipal Lot 35 at1025 Elsmere Avenue, will begin this month. The installation of all 11 stations is expected to be completed by March 2022 at the following locations:

·       Municipal Garage 2, 406 Pelissier Street

·       WFCU Centre, 8787 McHugh Street

·       Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex, 2555 Pulford Street

·       Municipal Lot 5, 78 Riverside Drive West

·       Municipal Lot 35, 1025 Elsmere Avenue

·       Municipal Lot 34, 1 Festival Plaza

·       Municipal Lot 4-1, 0 Lincoln Road at Ottawa Street

·       Municipal Lot 10, 445 City Hall Square

·       Mic Mac Park Complex, 1125 Prince Road

Previously, the City operated one EV charging station at the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre Presented by WFCU Credit Union as part of a trial run. The new electric vehicle charging station project is part of the City Council’s commitment to invest $1.6 billion over 10 years to upgrade and improve public infrastructures, such as roads, sewers, transportation, and parks and recreation, in an effort to continue raising the quality of life for Windsor residents.

Quotes:

“An expanded electric charging network will help the City stay on track to meet our community’s energy efficiency and climate mitigation goals. It also supports the next step of automobility by ensuring our region is at the forefront of innovation in the vehicle manufacturing sector, in alignment with the Windsor Works strategy to diversify the local economy.” – Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens

“ENWIN is happy to play a part in the electrification of the transportation sector in Ontario and very happy to do our part to help improve the environment. These stations help to give confidence to the public that they will be able to find places to charge an electric vehicle, other than their own homes. We hope that this will in turn result in more people buying and driving electric vehicles, which will lead to reductions in greenhouse gasses and a better environment for the generations that follow.” – Jim Brown, Vice President, Hydro Operations, ENWIN Utilities

“The Electric Vehicle Society, Windsor-Essex Chapter, would like to congratulate the City of Windsor and express our support for the construction of 22 EV charging spaces that will be located throughout Windsor. The City has taken a lead in many efforts in transitioning to electric vehicles, such as enjoying the benefits of an electrified fleet and installing charging locations downtown Windsor, and we highly commend their efforts.” – Pino Mastroianni, President, Electric Vehicle Society Windsor-Essex

“Via Italia is ecstatic to be a part of this exciting project to help lessen the carbon footprint we are leaving on the planet. We are looking forward to eventually seeing many more of these stations throughout the Windsor and area communities.” – Filip Rocca, Via Italia BIA President. 

Quick Facts:

·       There are 164 fully electric vehicles and 241 plug-in hybrid vehicles registered in the city of Windsor as of April 2021. In Southwestern Ontario, there are 4,452 and 3,988 vehicles, respectively.

·       Transportation accounts for about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in Windsor.

·       In the past five years, the City of Windsor has increased its fleet of EV/hybrid vehicles to 14 vehicles, including six recently acquired Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids.

·       The City of Windsor’s Climate Change Emergency Declaration set a target of 30% of all vehicles to be electric by 2041.

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Media Contacts:

Andrew Teliszewsky Chief of Staff Mayor’s Office (519) 990-3035

Jason Moore Senior Manager of Communications and Customer Service (519) 551-9011