The City of Orillia’s first two publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are available for public use at the Orillia Recreation Centre, located at 255 West St. S.
Currently, there are two Ivy Charging Park & Charge level 2 charging stations with four designated parking spaces to accommodate the four charging ports available. A flat rate of $2.00 per hour has been established for the service. The rate is in-line with municipal comparators and other charging station fees and will continue to be assessed and evaluated as use at the stations is monitored.
“As part of our commitment to a greener future, the City of Orillia is happy to offer two publicly accessible EV charging stations in the core of the city at the Orillia Recreation Centre. As identified through Council’s Strategic Plan and work on the City’s Climate Change Action Plan project, the City is committed to being a leader in addressing climate change,” said Mayor Steve Clarke. “The location of the EV chargers offer proximity to convenient amenities such as the recreation centre, multi-use trails, and local shops and businesses. We are excited to offer this service to Orillia residents and we look forward to welcoming new EV drivers to our community.”
The City’s EV charging stations are being offered in partnership with Ivy Charging Network, a joint partnership between Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation with additional funding provided by Natural Resources Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. Ivy’s new level 2 charging network, Park & Charge, provides municipalities and businesses the opportunity to bring charging to their communities for EV drivers who are not in a rush, backed by Ivy’s reliable EV network and customer service.
“We thank the City of Orillia for choosing Ivy to help them bring electric vehicle charging infrastructure to their community. By expanding our network to offer level 2 chargers, we will ensure that EV drivers today and, in the future, have a trusted network to get them where they need to go,” said Michael Kitchen, General Manager, Ivy Charging Network.
“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play. Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in Ontario, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals,” said the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources.
The Orillia Recreation Centre’s EV charging stations can be found by downloading the Ivy app as well as through various websites and applications, such as PlugShare, that promote EV charging station infrastructure. For more information, please visit ivycharge.com.
The City is in the process of developing both a Corporate and Community Climate Change Action Plan, which are anticipated to come to Council this spring. These plans will build a long-term climate change action plan with the community – for the community. For more information, please visit orillia.ca/climatefuture.