Item - 2024.IE16.5

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that: 

1. City Council adopt the proposed governance approach as described on pages 9 through 11 of the staff report (September 16, 2024) from the Executive Director, Environment and Climate.

2. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to develop and submit an annual public Electric Vehicle charging implementation and funding outlook for consideration as part of the annual City of Toronto Budget process.
 

3. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to establish and coordinate a City Asset Delivery Group which will include the President, Toronto Parking Authority, the General Manager of Fleet Services, the Chief Executive Officer of Toronto Transit Commission, and the President, Toronto Hydro, and other Divisions, Agencies and Corporations as appropriate to support the development of an annual three-year rolling public Electric Vehicle charging installation and funding plan, and to monitor the availability of home, workplace, and public charging in Toronto in order to coordinate the distribution of complementary public charging infrastructure and identify opportunities to coordinate bulk purchases of Electric Vehicle charging equipment and technology. 

4. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to work with City Divisions, Agencies and Corporations who manage City property, including Corporate Real Estate Management, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Toronto Transit Commission, the Toronto Public Library, CreateTO, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Exhibition Place, Toronto Zoo, and TOLive, in collaboration with Toronto Parking Authority and Toronto Hydro, to identify opportunities to install Electric Vehicle chargers on City-owned public facing properties.  

5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate Division and request the President, Toronto Parking Authority to establish a working group to share best practices and promote operational consistencies between how the City of Toronto and the Toronto Parking Authority operate and maintain their publicly accessible Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure, including with respect to branding, payment, wayfinding, and availability.

6. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate Division to provide information to Toronto Hydro to help support Toronto Hydro’s development of a communication plan that directs building owners, including homeowners, and tenants in Toronto to only contact Toronto Hydro for information and guidance on the installation of a private Electric Vehicle charger.

7. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to request The Atmospheric Fund to take the lead on engaging with public and private stakeholders and the development of an integrated, actionable, and resourced plan that complements the City-operated charging network to accelerate the rollout of public Electric Vehicle charging on non-City public and private sector properties and share information with The Atmospheric Fund to support the development of the plan.

8. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to provide information to the Toronto Parking Authority regarding City priorities for Electric Vehicle parking and charging, including information that could support the coordination of investments to meet city-wide needs.

9. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to work with the General Manager, Transportation Services to investigate use of the established Transportation Innovation Zones and Transportation Innovation Challenge Program for trialing emerging Electric Vehicle charging technologies and processes, to advance understanding of the feasibility and effectiveness of different Electric Vehicle charging technologies in the city.

10. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate, in consultation with Toronto Hydro and the General Manager, Transportation Services, to report back by the first quarter of 2025 on options for adjacent landowners to put publicly accessible, privately owned, building-connected chargers at the curb at no cost to the city, as in Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, and San Francisco.

11. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to propose the initial three-year city-wide Electric Vehicle charging installation and funding plan to City Council by the fourth quarter of 2025 for approval.

12. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to include a detailed progress report on each of these recommendations in the annual Net Zero progress report to City Council.

Decarbonizing the transportation sector to meet the ambitious goals outlined in Toronto’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy (TTO NZS) will require a robust, convenient, and reliable public electric vehicle (EV) charging network that supports other established city-wide sustainable transportation initiatives.

The Approach to Public Electric Vehicle Charging presented in this report responds to the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy Short-term Implementation Plan (2022-2025) action: "The City will develop a strategy and plans to meet the 2025 targets in the Electric Vehicle Strategy for public charging infrastructure, and to ensure that sufficient public charging infrastructure will be in place to accommodate growth in Electric Vehicle ownership to 30 per cent of registered personal vehicles by 2030."

Toronto has started laying a foundation for its network by establishing zoning rules, parking regulations, and by-laws that help define the appropriate use of public space in relation to Electric Vehicle charging. Additionally, Toronto has installed Electric Vehicle charging stations at on-street parking spaces, in Green P parking lots, and at City facilities. The City also provides financing support to encourage charging in existing residential buildings through its BetterHomesTO program while requiring new residential and commercial buildings to install Electric Vehicle charging through the Toronto Green Standard.

In 2021, Environment and Climate began work to understand how to increase Electric Vehicle uptake by directing its focus on identifying where publicly owned and operated Electric Vehicle charging would be needed to complement the existing privately operated and publicly accessible Electric Vehicle charging network and private at-home Electric Vehicle charging spots.

As of June 2024, Toronto had 30,505 registered Electric Vehicles, roughly 2.8 per cent of the estimated 1.1 million registered passenger vehicles. With a goal of 5 percent of all registered vehicles being Electric Vehicles by 2025, the City will need to take a more proactive role in encouraging Electric Vehicle ownership.

This report presents an approach to growing Toronto's existing public charging network by the City through its Divisions, Agencies and Corporations, drawing from extensive research, data analysis, and stakeholder engagement completed in collaboration with several Divisions, Agencies and Corporations to prepare for Toronto's public charging needs.

The Approach proposes a model of cross-corporate coordination to advance Electric Vehicle infrastructure asset planning until the year 2030 and clarifies the City’s role with respect to Electric Vehicle infrastructure provision based on initial technical analysis.

The Approach to Public Electric Vehicle Charging to 2030 includes:

-  A City governance structure that optimizes City-owned assets (in the form of properties including lands and buildings) through a centralized approach led by the Environment and Climate Division, including financial planning of Electric Vehicle infrastructure assets.

-  A technical projection of future needs from a “demand- and utilization-driven perspective” using currently established public charging network information at a ward level to determine the placement of Electric Vehicle chargers.

-  A specific focus on equity through education and public charging station location prioritization of vehicle-for-hire (VFH) vehicles to ensure adequate and convenient access to public chargers for this industry.

While the City alone cannot be solely responsible for the robustness of the public Electric Vehicle charging network, nor can the City financially incentivize residents to purchase Electric Vehicles, it can ensure that Toronto residents have reasonable access to charging with a consistent user experience. Relatedly, clear processes and communication on how residents can 'connect' to the Electric Vehicle charger whether a resident is a homeowner, renter, or condo dweller will also be critical for seamless operability. This includes minimizing barriers to access chargers by providing clear signage and wayfinding, advancing charger availability and reliability, and cost parity.

Government-led public Electric Vehicle charging programs around the world demonstrate that success in building robust and effective Electric Vehicle charging networks is achieved when collaboration with diverse stakeholders is at the core of this type of infrastructure development, saving time, money, and avoiding unnecessary duplication and stranded assets. Key international examples showcase partnerships with private businesses who supply charging infrastructure and the technology to support it, commercial businesses who allocate spots for their customers and employees to charge their vehicles either at or near their businesses, local utility companies who are a first contact and can provide reliable advice and orientation to what would work best for residents' needs, and intergovernmental alignment on goals and incentives. The City can also, through its processes, policies, and incentives, encourage private sector investment in growing the Electric Vehicle charging network. A robust public Electric Vehicle charging network must include investments from both the private and public sectors.

The City has a wide range of other transportation, city building, land use policies, programs, and infrastructure initiatives. These initiatives are either underway or planned to encourage and support the transition away from the use of fossil fuels and increase the use of more sustainable transportation modes such as public transit, walking and cycling, and zero emission vehicles, where required. This proposed approach supports the multiple options available to residents to travel carbon-free around the city now and into the future.