Faster electric charger plugs in to Markham

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 26, 2015
By Amanda Persico

Markham is making it easier for electric vehicle owners to plug in, charge and be on their way.

The city has become the first in the province to activate a vehicle fast charger on municipal property.

The new high power level 3 charger is about 10 times faster than conventional level 2 chargers out there and can provide nearly a full charge to most electric vehicles in 30 minutes or less.

“You can come in and enjoy a council or committee meeting,” joked Mayor Frank Scarpitti during the unveiling.

The level 3 charger is in part funded by the city, PowerStream and EV Nissan Canada.

There are about 2,000 electric vehicles on the road in Ontario with about 300 in the PowerStream territory, which includes Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Aurora and Bradford.

The charger, in the Civic Centre parking lot, enhances the province’s vision for one in 20 cars being electric by 2020 and is part of a larger network of some 1,700 charging stations across the country.

“We need this infrastructure to encourage more electric vehicles,” said PowerStream COO and executive vice-president Mark Henderson. “One day chargers will be as ubiquitous as gas stations.”

The cars also qualify for green license plates, letting you to use HOV lanes. “After the Pan Am Games, that is well worth it,” Scarpitti said. “You can use the HOV lanes with one person without having a mannequin.”

The electric vehicle industry is expected to grow by100 per cent the next three years, he said.

The Civic Centre is close to highways 404 and 407. Owners can charge their car at the civic centre for about $10 an hour.

There is also an electric vehicle charger at the Centennial GO Station as well as several corporate charging stations in the city. The city also has electric vehicles as part of its fleet.