Abstract Manager

The City of Toronto has committed to a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2040. Transportation is a leading source of GHG emissions, accounting for 38% of GHG emissions in the City of Toronto. Electric vehicles (EVs) will play an important role in achieving the City’s ambitious climate goals. Access to public electric vehicle charging, including on-street charging opportunities, is critical for the transition to electric vehicles that is required to meet Toronto's goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040.

In support of EV growth, Toronto Hydro and the City's Transportation Services partnered to install 17 EV charging devices on 9 select streets across the city for an 18-month pilot period between October 1, 2020 and April 30, 2022. These stations were part of two separately approved Council pilots referred to as the Downtown and Residential Electric Vehicle Charging Station pilots, which aimed to achieve the following goals:

• Understand charging usage;
• Help permit parking holders gain access to on-street charging;

• Understand charging in combination with paid parking; and
• Support the reduction of GHG emissions and other emissions harmful to air quality.

Working in partnership, the Transportation Services Division and Toronto Hydro installed curbside charging stations in the downtown core and in residential neighbourhoods. Through this experience, Toronto Hydro and Transportation Services have navigated site planning, community engagement, design and construction, and operational constraints and challenges.

In the case of the Downtown On-Street pilot, siting appropriate locations included avoiding major arterial roads where rush-hour periods would limit usage of the charging stations, ‘No Parking’ areas that could safely accommodate parking and at least one location within a paid parking area.

The Residential On-Street pilot required different criteria for site selection including the following:

• In a permit parking area with available permits (i.e., < 90% capacity);
• On a street block with at least two fewer permits issued than parking spaces available;
• No daytime parking restrictions or alternate side of street parking;
• The presence of electrical poles located adjacent to the curb;
• On a street that allows for the placement of EV parking spaces without encroaching on driveways, intersections, fire hydrants, or other significant encumbrance; and
• Location provides sufficient electrical capacity and can otherwise support the EV charge stations.

Toronto will provide results on the 18-month on-street pilots, including information on charging station utilization, GHG impacts, costs, revenues, measures taken to improve compliance by non-EV operators and lessons learned.