MANITOUWADGE — Travellers in the Superior North region with electric vehicles will be able to stop and charge up in Manitouwadge.
New electric vehicle charging stations in Manitouwadge will be funded through Aviva Canada’s Charged for Change program, a $3-million initiative aiming to address gaps in under-served communities in Ontario.
Manitouwadge is one of seven communities that will receive the funding, which includes Thessalon and East Ferris in Northerneastern Ontario.
Manitouwadge Mayor Jim Moffat called Aviva Canada’s announcement a great opportunity for the town.
“Currently, there are no publicly accessible EV chargers in Manitouwadge and the nearest one is 100 kilometres away,” Moffat said in a Tuesday interview.
As more people adopt electric vehicles, the need for EV charging stations in the Superior North region is increasingly necessary.
“It’s really going to help with people coming to the community that have electric vehicles and there becoming more and more of them now. Right now, when they come in, they have to find an alternate way to get charged and it’s that’s hard to find in a small town,” Moffat said.
Currently, EV charging stations are positioned along Highways 11 and 17. The Petro-Canada station in Marathon is the closest to Manitouwadge. The second closest is Geraldton, which is nearly 180 kilometres away.
“Us being at a dead-end highway, for an EV to come into Manitouwadge and have enough charge to get back out, has to be planned. So, there is a lot of reluctance for people driving EVs to come in and explore Manitouwadge,” Moffat said.
Having an EV charging station between two of Ontario’s major highways will be advantageous for both drivers and the township’s tourism sector, particularly, their location.
Moffat said one will be by the town hall close to the downtown core and the other will be by the recreation centre.
Typically, wait times for charging an EV battery take between 30 to 40 minutes. During that time, people will be about to explore Manitouwadge and shop locally.
Moreover, people who travel to Manitouwadge to participate in sporting events will have an advantageous spot to charge their vehicles.
Moffat said the charging stations will be universal. Currently, Tesla charging stations only accept Tesla vehicles.
“In the EV world, there’s Tesla and then there is everybody else,” said Moffat. “All the other vehicles, as of right now, cannot charge at Tesla, but Tesla can charge at the other ones. So, this will be a universal charger that will accept all vehicles.”
Before the charging stations can be installed, Moffat said a tender will be put forward by town staff. Once a qualified installer is approved by council there will be a 12-week construction period.
“I’m expecting mid to late summer, “said Moffat.