EVCO – Peterborough Utilities Group and FLO’s L3 in Norwood and Lansdowne Place Mall

I have been a Bolt EV owner since February 2017.  Driving the Bolt EV is great for many reasons but mostly due to the 60 kW battery which provides easily 400 km in range per charge in spring, summer and fall.  I have traveled 8 times from Ottawa to Toronto, Québec, Guelph and Blue Montain near Collingwood.

Back in May 2016, I published City of Peterborough’s Fast Chargers.  Peterborough Utilities Group was proud to announce:

We applied to the Electric Vehicle Chargers Ontario (EVCO) Program through the Ministry of Transportation and was awarded a $291,480 grant to install 9 stations at the following 6 locations:

• Riverview Park and Zoo – one level 2 station
• Lansdowne Place Mall – both a level 2 and a level 3 station
• King Street Parking Garage – two level 2 stations
• Memorial Center – one level 2 station
• Downtown Lakefield – one level 2 station
• Downtown Norwood – both a level 2 and a level 3 station

Both Peterborough and Norwood now have a FLO level 3 charging station.  I remember thinking out loud : ”Norwood ?  Where is Norwood ?  Why Norwood ?”

Driving from Ottawa to Toronto, it is almost impossible to drive the distance without a quick stop charge on a level 3 charging station (fast  charger).  Lately, I have been driving towards Toronto on Highway 7 simply because Peterborough Utilities Group have installed FLO‘s level 3 charging stations through the EVCO program.  They opted to offer the infastructure free of use to EV owners.  They gather information from every charge such as kWh and charging time.

I don’t remember the last time I drove this distance on Highway 7.  If I ever did, I never had to go to Peterborough, let alone Norwood.  Now I do, and I love finding why we call Ontario ”Yours to discover”.

Lansdowne Place Mall

Lansdowne Place Mall is a great location.  While charging the EV, I can shop around, eat at the food court or simply walk around.  Fantastic break while on the road.

If I am on a tight schedule, the only negative aspect is the short 4,4 km detour (with traffic lights) from the Highway 7 to drive to Lansdowne Place Mall and another 3 km back to Highway 7.

Norwood

Small towns along a highway have a challenge: convince drivers to stop and spend money locally.  Peterborough Utilities Group proved that installing a level 3 charging station in Norwood is one solution that actually works.  Norwood (Township of Asphodel-Norwood) is a small town of 1,300 residents.

Highway 7 goes through downtown Norwood.  Great location when on a tight shedule.  FLO’s level 3 charging station is in the Foodland parking lot.  I can buy fresh healthy food to eat right away.

I can go to a few restaurants on the main road.  I recommend Jack’s Family Restaurant, a 600 meters walk.  I also make the most of the charging time and visit Royal Bank next to the pharmacy.

We need a wide range of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.  If there is electricity it is possible to install level 1 charging stations (for long stays such as out of town congress events and camp grounds) and level 2 charging infrastructure for less than 12 hours needs.  Many small Ontario municipalities should follow Peterborough Utilities Group’s lead and invest (with their local electricity distribution company) in level 3 charging infrastructure.  Drivers will stop by and discover why you enjoy the area you call home.