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NRCan invests $12.7-MIL in six electrified transport technologies

September 14, 2021 – Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is investing $12.7 million in six electrified transport technologies:

$4.95 million to Hydro One Ltd. to develop a pilot for heavy-duty electric truck charging stations in Ontario, with the aim of becoming a model for other utilities and businesses interested in pursuing solutions for electrifying heavy-duty transportation.

$2.5 million to the Toronto Transit Commission to implement a smart charging platform for its electric bus fleet. This project is expected to deliver a system to manage peak energy demand and reduce GHG emissions and overall infrastructure costs while optimizing the use of electric buses.

$2 million to Opus One Solutions to demonstrate a shared economy model for EV chargers. The project will seek to understand and address the impact of residential EV charging on local networks, as well as assess the potential of repurposing private home chargers through a sharing platform for public use to support growing EV adoption.

$1.32 million to Alectra Inc. to develop and implement an EV model for single-family and multi-unit residential buildings. The project aims to provide convenient and affordable access to EV chargers, manage energy cost increases and provide incentives for encouraging off-peak EV charging in the residential sector.

$1.3 million to Geotab Inc. to demonstrate an enhanced SmartCharge Incentive system that includes price signals to allow EV owners to have different charge windows to avoid or limit popular charging times. A price signal allows for an additional incentive for EV owners to charge at a specific time to shift electrical loads at the grid level.

$635,000 to Blackstone Energy Services Inc. to test drive a cost-effective vehicle-to-grid system that uses energy stored in EV batteries to provide cost savings to EV owners by encouraging them to discharge energy during peak electricity demand periods. The project also aims to provide cost savings to facility operators by offsetting power consumption during these periods.

“Electrification of transportation is a generational opportunity for utilities to be more relevant and meaningful to our customers,” said Brian Bentz, president & CEO, Alectra Inc.

Funded through NRCan’s Green Infrastructure – Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration Program, these projects “aim to accelerate the market entry of next-generation clean energy technologies by supporting demonstration projects for innovative technologies”.