Got a plug-in hybrid. What Toronto parking lots have EV spots & charging?

I just bought a Toyota Prius Plug-in. Where can I park in Toronto and get free charging, and conveniently placed reserved parking spots?

I know there are EV chargers at the Distillery District, but I believe that's only for Smart Car EV owners. There is also mention of spots at the Yonge / Dundas Green P, but I don't know what's available there. I'll have to check that out soon. I also know there are convenient hybrid spots in the parking lot underground by BMO field, but AFAIK there are no EV chargers there.

Tuscani01 said:

http://www.caa.ca/evstations/

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In addition to CAA's great EV locator, some GO train parking lots also have EV charging stations ($2.50 per charge). You can just park your car in one of those "reserved-for-EV" spots while you catch a GO train, but they are usable in a pinch (without catching GO) if you're stuck without any nearby EV charging.

www.gotransit.com/public/en/stations/electric.aspx

In addition to CAA's locator, there's also Chargepoint's locator.

na.chargepoint.com/charge_point

CAA's locator includes both the Chargepoint stations and GO stations, that said, it's useful to know multiple ways of searching for the same stations, as one of the locators may not include the newest stations. Also, some of the locators will include plug information, while others may not.

EV chargers for other brands of cars could also have backup standard plugs (120V/240V) which would be compatible with other EV vehicles. So it's useful to see if you're able to doublecheck if a Smart GO station can charge your plug-in hybrid.

Thanks. I was wondering specifically about free charging stations though, if they exist. At least in off peak times (weekends, evenings) it only costs about 35-40 cents to charge my car so paying $2.50 wouldn't make sense.

My car only uses 3 kWh per charge, since it's a PHEV. It's about 2.5 hours with my portable Level 1 120V charger, or else about 1.5 hours with a Level 2 charger.

plugshare.com has everything you'll need. Most comprehensive listing I've seen, lets you view only level 2, or level 1 and level 2. Relatively few lots cost money to charge. In fact the Direct Energy Centre underground lot, the one you mentioned near BMO field, does have a charger.

Thanks for sharing guys. Hopefully they'll proliferate more in the future until most parking lots have some charging spots.

Looking at the area around Yonge-Eg, there aren't very many. The cheap gas lately probably won't help the cause however.

Hopefully it won't be too long before it's mandated that parking lots have a certain percentage of parking spaces have EV charging bays.

Eug said:

Thanks. I was wondering specifically about free charging stations though, if they exist. At least in off peak times (weekends, evenings) it only costs about 35-40 cents to charge my car so paying $2.50 wouldn't make sense.

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That said, when certain GO station parking lots become full towards the end of morning peak period, the EV spots are occasionally still free. So, $2.50 for parking is still cheaper than GO paid reserved parking spots!

TheTigerMaster said:

Hopefully it won't be too long before it's mandated that parking lots have a certain percentage of parking spaces have EV charging bays.

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It would be interesting to see.

Some of the parking spots are reserved for those with physical mobility issues, some for expectant mothers, some for very small vehicles, some for green vehicles (some with EV charging bays and some without), some for customers of the nearby retail/restaurant, and some for employees of said businesses.

A lot of LEED projects end up with EV charging stations, as they qualify for LEED points in the 'providing alternative transportation choice' category.

The GO ones ought to take Presto. It doesn't look like they do.

Komiksulo said:

The GO ones ought to take Presto. It doesn't look like they do.

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That would be great, but it appears Metrolinx has researched it and it was not feasible and they added it to their FAQ.

GOTransit.com said:

How do I pay for charge my EV?
The cost for a charging session is $2.50. Users will wave a credit card (Mastercard, AMEX or VISA) or smart card (purchased through Chargepoint) over the reader to access the charger to pay. At this time, connecting the Chargepoint system to PRESTO cards is not feasible.

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Manulife Centre has some now, but it sounds like it's for their tenants, not for their public parking. However, I'm not sure.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...charged-up-for-electric-cars/article23899122/

Megaton327 said:

plugshare.com has everything you'll need. Most comprehensive listing I've seen, lets you view only level 2, or level 1 and level 2. Relatively few lots cost money to charge. In fact the Direct Energy Centre underground lot, the one you mentioned near BMO field, does have a charger.

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Thanks, there's a wealth of information in the Plugshare app for my iPhone but you really have to check them out in person. Some of them seem kind of iffy. For example, I was checking out one spot near Liberty Village which was listed as public but then the parking lot has all sorts of "private parking" signs all over the place.

I've also discovered that the Home Depots have charging spots in their hybrid parking spots. They don't provide the chargers but do provide the plugs. Unfortunately, there is a lip on the outlets which is incompatible with the larger plug housings of some of the chargers, but a 1 metre 12 AWG extension cord solves that problem. And if you're at Home Depot, you can buy that extension cord right there!

Eug said:

Manulife Centre has some now, but it sounds like it's for their tenants, not for their public parking. However, I'm not sure.

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Two spots being fitted out at 200 King W.....also in the monthly tenant parking level. Don't see any sign, yet, that they are planning to install them in the public level.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/about_ikea/newsitem/2015_evcharging

Ikea is installing EV charging stations at all of its Canadian stores. They will install two Sun Country Highway 60A J1772 Level 2 charging stations at each store to begin with. They will be free to use, on a first-come first-served basis.

This is excellent news--I think Ikea is one of the best places for charging stations. People often spend hours there--browsing the showrooms, trying things out, taking measurements, finding things in the warehouse, visiting the restaurant, or doing returns and exchanges...while it's certainly nice when, say, a Tim Hortons installs a charger, you usually only spend a few minutes at Tim's. Somebody with a Leaf or a Soul EV--both vehicles with a very reasonable amount of cargo space (I've used a Leaf and a gas-based Soul to go to Ikea before)--who couldn't previously make it all the way from home to Ikea and back without charging elsewhere can now do so easily as long as the one-way trip is within range, as they can likely reclaim nearly all of their range (and preheat or pre-cool the car fully while plugged in!) while they shop. Even somebody with a Volt or a Plugin Prius (again, both with good cargo space thanks to their liftback trunks) who'd previously have to dip into their gas tank to make the trip might now accomplish it solely on battery power. And, of course, prime storefront spots are a great bonus given how crazy Ikea's parking lots get.

Bravo Ikea--what a fantastic development.

Now if only Toronto City Council hadn't been so shortsighted in not allowing Green Vehicles in the Gardiner/DVP HOV Lanes...oh well, at least the provincial highway lanes allow them.