New electric vehicle charging stations in North Bay
Four electric vehicle charging stations are available at Community Energy Park outside Memorial Gardens in North Bay.
North Bay Hydro president and CEO Matt Payne said it’s a sign of the time and the changing auto industry.
“I think it’s the direction the country and the province want to go with enabling EV vehicles,” Payne said.
“It’s helping people that come through North Bay and people who live with North Bay charge up their vehicles and that’s what it’s all about.”
He said the region faces some challenges when it comes to electric vehicles, including the climate and the distance between charging stations can be issues.
“Northern Ontario has its unique challenges with EV because of the distance apart of the centres in the north,” Payne said.
“We’ve had 170 unique visitors to the park already, which is about 245 different charges and 6,000 kilowatts hours used. So we’re seeing usage and it’s actually ahead of what we thought it would be.”
Funding for the charging spots came from the federal government.
“This isn’t something we have a choice in, it’s something we have to go towards,” said Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota.
- Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
- Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox
“Some people ask why is it taking so long -- well it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s certainly going to be a challenge in northern Ontario but we’re seeing battery changes happening all the time so I’m sure we will be able to overcome the challenges.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
Man stabbed in both legs with a machete in Times Square
A man was stabbed in both legs with a machete at New York's Times Square on Thursday afternoon, police said.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Melanie Joly 'forward-leaning' in debate on Ukraine using NATO arms inside Russia
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is suggesting Canada would support a policy of allowing Ukraine to use NATO-provided arms inside Russia.
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Fast-paced, highflying SailGP blows into Halifax for weekend competition
Ten countries, including Canada, each with teams of six sailors, are battling head-to-head on Halifax Harbour this weekend for the Canadian debut of SailGP (Grand Prix).