ONRoute announced this week it has partnered with the Canadian Electricity Association’s Ivy Charging Network to install electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations at all of its locations along Ontario’s busiest highways in Canada, the Highway 401 and Highway 400.
ONRoute, which operates rest stops and gas stations in plazas along Ontario’s Highway 400 and Highway 401, and its partners, the Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), have struck an agreement with Ivy Charging Network for a total of 23 Charge & Go level 3 fast-charging facilities at ONRoute locations, with the possibility of future expansion.
“ONroute is proud to take this step towards sustainability, as we partner with Ivy and Canadian Tire to bring charging stations to our plazas. With a customer-obsessed focus, we want ONroute to be the recharge destination along every journey. That is why we are focused on supporting the growth of electric cars, and bringing new services to our customers,” said Melanie Teed-Murch, Chief Executive Officer at ONroute.
Ivy Charging Network will install 69 level 3 fast-chargers at the 23 ONRoute locations, with each site getting between two and four charging stalls.
Ivy Charge & Go level 3 fast-chargers are expected to go live at 17 ONroute locations along Highways 401 and 400 by summer 2022, and at another three ONroute locations by year’s end, 2022. Fast-chargers at the three remaining ONroute stations will take a bit longer, opening up in 2023/2025.
Ivy Charging Network’s level 3 fast-chargers offer a maximum power output of 150 kW and can deliver up to 100 km (62 miles) of range in 20 minutes under ideal conditions. Each of the fast-chargers Ivy deploys at ONroute locations will be compatible with the full range of electric cars on the market today, including Teslas.
Funding for the project comes from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)’s Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative (EVAFIDI), which has invested $8 million CAD to help develop the Ivy Charging Network.
ONRoute isn’t the only service company shifting its focus towards EV drivers — NRCan recently bankrolled fellow gas station operator Shell’s plans to build 79 EV fast-charging stalls in Canada. Earlier in the year, the government authority also announced $32 million CAD in funding for a whopping 853 new EV chargers across the country.
Ontario currently has 66,757 EVs registered as of October 2021, says the province, with 1 out of 3 vehicles sold in 2030 expected to be electric.
