Oxford County Seeks Public Input

Monday, 5 February 2018 05:14

Oxford County is ready to move forward with their Electric Accessibility Plan.

OXFORD COUNTY - Oxford County is looking for the public's help when it comes to the new electric vehicle charging stations that will installed across the County.

The Oxford County Electric Accessibility Plan recommends adding 229 charging stations in high traffic locations. Manager of Strategic Initatives Jay Heaman says they really need the public's help in finding the right locations for these new charging stations.

"The feasiblity study has been completed by CUTRIC, the Centre for Urban Transit which is a nation wide think tank basically and they worked out a lot of the traffic patterns in Oxford County and around Oxford County and we have established general locations that would make the most sense for charge stations, whether they be level 1, 2 or 3 but that is really just a place to start. What we are hoping for is people will review the plan, review the locations and possibly offer other locations that they think will be better."

Heaman says public input is crucial to make sure they are installing these charges in places where they are needed.

"This is a fairly detailed report but it is only to be as good as the input and thought that we put into it as a community. While there is some good science behind the proposed locations, what we really need is public engagement to help us find the best location."

Of these charging stations:

- 163 would be Level 1 chargers, which use a standard household electricity outlet to provide about eight kilometres of range for every hour of charging;
- 54 would be Level 2 chargers, which use a higher voltage and offer about 30 kilometres of range for every hour of charging; and
- 12 would be Level 3 chargers, which use ultra-high-power 480-volt circuits to charge an empty EV battery to 80% in as little as 30 minutes, making them ideal for highway travel.

The feasibility report sets out several priorities for locating new charging stations:

- Workplace clusters of several employers within a 150-metre radius of each other, such as the north side of the 401 corridor through Woodstock, Culloden Road exit in Ingersoll, and the industrial area east of County Road 19 in south Tillsonburg;
- Level 2 and Level 3 chargers along highways to serve through-traffic and commuters, particularly in Drumbo off Highway 401, which currently has low electric vehicle chargeability in the area; and
- Upgrades to existing chargers at the Ingersoll Travel Plaza ONRoute, Ingersoll Comfort Inn, the Oxford County Administration Building, and either George’s Auto Repair or the nearby municipal lots in Tillsonburg, all of which serve nearby amenities.

To read the full feasibility report or to share your input, visit Speak Up, Oxford online here.