Summer travellers in northern Ontario say it's a hassle to find electric vehicle stations

As electric vehicles gain in popularity, there's increased pressure for northern Ontario to accommodate drivers with the required infrastructure.

This summer, many drivers are complaining about a lack of EV charging stations in the region and chargers that are in disrepair

Jeff Hill, who owns a Hyundai Kona Electric, said fast chargers were hard to come across while travelling from Ottawa to Sudbury.

"That's the biggest worry for us," Hill said while topping off his car at a fast-charge EV station at a Petro-Canada along Regent Street in Sudbury.

Hill and his partner, Janis Lalonde, said they had to pass a few chargers that were either down or occupied by other EVs for a longer period.

They took their Kona Electric on a last-ditch run to another charger 150 kilometres away.

Hill added that charting out long-distance trips from one charger to the next isn't a guarantee.

"You can't be sure that you're going to have a working charger when you get to the destination."

Tesla-exclusive fast chargers and the Combined Charging System (CCS) are some of the most common stations drivers can come across that can recharge vehicles at varying speeds.

Stations with plugs below 50 kilowatts (kW) typically charge cars at slower speeds, while others between 50 and 250 kW are faster.

According to EV charging map website PlugShare, there were four working fast-charging stations available in Sudbury at time of publication.

Some parts of northern Ontario, including Manitoulin Island, do not have fast-charging stations installed.

Ken Shields, an organizer of the Electric Vehicle Association of northern Ontario, said a lack of reliable and abundant chargers during the summer leads to EVs being towed.

"The reliability of the network must follow the build of the network, and that doesn't seem to be the case," he said.

A number of public chargers across northern Ontario are also offline from a lack of components or available repair crews, Shields added.

"This has been a hardship for people because they've had to have expensive towing from various communities."

Greater Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie said they are looking to attract visitors with more EV charging stations in the future.

"Is it perfect? No. Will it continue to improve? Yes," said Lara Fielding, manager of tourism and culture with the City of Greater Sudbury.

Fielding added that Greater Sudbury will eventually get more chargers through new businesses as well as city infrastructure.

"The more the merrier, and we are equipped [right now] to deliver on the requirements at our entrance and exit points into our city."

Emily Cormier, environmental sustainability co-ordinator with the City of Sault Ste. Marie, said they are expecting an increase in inquiries about EV charging facilities.

Cormier said the problem isn't unique to the Sault, but is an issue across northern Ontario.

"These are certainly some concerns that are not being just felt here in Sault Ste. Marie."

Cormier added they are currently drafting a charging infrastructure plan that will fit the federal government's mandate of exclusively selling non-emitting vehicles by 2035.

"This will really help us provide a roadmap of how we can distribute more charging infrastructure around city facilities, as well as encourage the building of new charging infrastructure," she said.

Hill said he plans to switch his Hyundai Kona Electric for a hybrid vehicle to reduce battery anxiety during a trip.

"It can really throw a wrench in your travel plans for a day," he said.

Digital Producer

Clement is a reporter across CBC News in Ontario. Since 2018, he has also worked in various newsrooms across Toronto, London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Sudbury covering current affairs. Outside, he is a resident gamer and keeps his popcorn close at the latest movie premieres. You can reach him with tips, story ideas and compliments at [email protected] and Twitter via @theinstaword