Tesla tells Ontario how to improve EV infrastructure

Tesla wants to help the Ontario government improve the province’s electric-vehicle charging network.

The automaker on Jan. 19 amended a previous filing with the Lobbyist Registry of Ontario reiterating its plan. Electric Autonomy Canada was the first to report on the filing.

“Tesla’s intended outcome is to help accelerate the pace at which charging station new service connections are provided while minimizing connection costs, in order to increase number of charging stations deployed in Ontario,” the automaker wrote.

Tesla says in the filing it wants to “engage with the government and its agencies to identify opportunities and propose solutions to reduce electricity costs for large-scale DC fast charging operations, including for commercial truck fleets.”

The filing comes about two months after Tesla sent a 10-page letter to Ontario’s Environmental Policy Office offering advice on how the province could spend $91 million it committed to electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. 

“The government must prioritize investments that will truly help deploy critical EV charging infrastructure in areas that help make charging fast, accessible, and as convenient as gasoline refueling as possible,” Tesla said in its letter to Katerina Downard at the Environmental Policy Office.

The automaker made six suggestions:

• Focus on remote and low utilization sites, but also on sites where additional capacity is needed;
• Expand program scope and target EV infrastructure investments where they will have the greatest impact: existing multi-unit residential buildings;
• Support public charging installations in urban settings, especially where it provides EV charging for MURB dwellers, and the establishment of DC Fast “charging hubs” in Ontario’s most dense and expensive real estate markets;
• For DC Fast eligibility, require a minimum rating of 100kW. Considering the types of situations in which EV drivers use DCFC stations, these stations need to be convenient and offer truly fast charging;
• Adopt minimum uptime requirements for Ontario-funded connectors;
• Work with the Ontario Energy Board, utilities and service providers to address inconsistent and unclear utility scope of work, high costs and long timelines that are significant barriers to fast deployment of EV charging infrastructure.

“Tesla applauds the government of Ontario’s commitment to investing in EV charging infrastructure. However, based on our experience in engaging with prospective EV drivers in Canada, the most significant challenge facing EV charging infrastructure at this stage in the market’s development is not with highway-side or other public charging, but with access to charging at home, in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs),” Tesla’s November letter reads, in part.

In its lobbyist filing in January, Tesla says it wants to “ensure the efficient and consistent integration of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure with the transmission and distribution systems across the province.”

“Tesla’s intended outcome is to help accelerate the pace at which charging station new service connections are provided while minimizing connection costs, in order to increase the number of charging stations deployed in Ontario,” the automaker wrote.