EVcharts

Category: Ontario

  • Electrify Canada Opens First New Location in Years in Ontario

    Electrify Canada Opens First New Location in Years in Ontario

    Electrify Canada has blessed Ontario with a long-overdue fast-charging site in Owen Sound — the first new location in years for the network in the province. Fortunately, they chose a spot that genuinely needed coverage, making this the fastest charger in the area.

    The new site includes:

    For EV drivers (other than Tesla drivers, since there’s already a Supercharger in town) across Grey Bruce County and the Georgian Bay area, this station fills a huge gap in fast-charging coverage. Until now, longer trips through the region could feel like rolling the dice on range — especially for visitors heading up to Tobermory.

    With this move, Electrify Canada is showing it hasn’t completely ghosted Ontario expansion. Still, their overall ambitions remain questionable. This Owen Sound site, for example, has been under construction since 2022. Meanwhile, major travel corridors remain uncovered: there’s still nothing in Muskoka, Huntsville, Parry Sound, or northern Ontario. Even busy routes like Kingston–Oshawa and Hamilton–Niagara Falls are ignored.

    The hope is that Owen Sound marks a turning point rather than a one-off. Canada’s growing EV fleet needs more than Tesla’s mushrooming Supercharger network — and Electrify Canada still has a big role to play if it wants to stay relevant.

    It’s also worth noting that Electrify Canada is one of the most expensive charging networks in the province, at $0.79/kWh (including tax). By comparison, Tesla’s Supercharger in town costs $0.46/kWh (Tesla lists prices with tax included). For Tesla drivers, Electrify Canada would cost almost twice as much. At present, Electrify Canada appears to have little interest in competing on price or attracting a wider customer base. For most drivers, this station should be treated as an emergency option given the steep rates — unless the company reconsiders its pricing strategy in the future..

  • Canada’s Largest Supercharger Site Is Almost Complete!

    Canada’s Largest Supercharger Site Is Almost Complete!

    Ajax, Ontario will soon be home to Canada’s largest Supercharger site, featuring 44 V4 stalls. Construction, which began in May 2025, is now in its final phase. Crews are completing inspections, utility connections, and last-minute site work before the station can officially open.

    JML Electric, the contractor responsible for building the site, has been documenting progress on Instagram throughout the year.

    Construction Timeline (via JML Electric):

    May 29, 2025

    June 5, 2025

    June 8, 2025

    June 20, 2025

    August 10, 2025

    August 11, 2025

    August 13, 2025

    August 15, 2025

    August 18, 2025

    August 20, 2025

    August 21, 2025

    August 26, 2025

    What’s Next

    Tesla had previously listed Ajax among the Supercharger sites planned to open in 2025. However, even after construction wraps up, final activation can depend on local utilities, sometimes delaying a launch by several months or more.

    Still, if all goes well, the Ajax Supercharger should be operational by the end of 2025.

  • IVY – Canada’s Worst Charging Network

    IVY – Canada’s Worst Charging Network

    British Columbia has BC Hydro EV, Quebec has Electric Circuit, and unfortunately, Ontario has IVY. Like poison ivy, it leaves you irritated and wondering why you even went near it in the first place.

    IVY is a joint venture between Hydro One (majority-owned by the Province of Ontario) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), a provincial crown corporation. In theory, these companies should have everything they need to build a great network. Yet somehow, IVY’s charging stations manage to have almost nothing going for them.

    1. The Pricing is Ridiculous. $0.62 per kWh.
      • At $0.62 per kWh, IVY is essentially the most expensive network in Ontario, with the possible exception of Electrify Canada. However, Electrify Canada offers a subscription that reduces the price to below $0.62/kWh, and in Toronto, even without a subscription, it’s cheaper than IVY.
      • When something is expensive, it should at least deliver a good experience. But IVY manages to be expensive, unreliable, and frustrating.
    2. They Are Unreliable
      • The comments on PlugShare speak for themselves. Users frequently report issues with broken chargers, poor customer service, and failed charging sessions.:
    3. Many Chargers Are Only Rated For 50 kW
      • Many, if not most, of IVY’s chargers or dispensers max out at just 50 kW. In today’s EV market, where faster charging speeds are becoming the norm, this is unacceptably slow.
    4. Chargers Labeled 100+ kW Rarely Deliver Those Speeds
      • Even chargers labeled as 100 kW or higher often fail to deliver anywhere near their advertised speeds. For instance, on a 100 kW charger, my Tesla—one of the most popular EVs in Ontario—typically only reaches 66 kW. On one rare occasion, I managed to hit 88 kW.
      • This was with a preconditioned battery and a low state of charge, yet IVY still underperformed.

    A History of Decline

    Unfortunately, IVY doesn’t seem to be improving. In fact, it used to be cheaper to charge when they billed by the minute instead of per kWh. Back then, the network was far more affordable.

    What Needs to Change

    IVY desperately needs a management overhaul and a complete rethink of its approach to EV charging. If the Province of Ontario genuinely wants to encourage EV ownership, this is not the way to do it.