Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Rate
If you own or operate a commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging station, you may be eligible for the new Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Rate.
The EVC Rate is an electricity delivery rate designed specifically for eligible EV charging stations in Ontario to better reflect the transmission costs of serving EV chargers with low load factors. It reduces the Retail Transmission Service Rates (RTSRs) paid by participating EV charging stations.
Who is eligible for the EVC Rate?
EV charging stations must meet all the following criteria to participate in the EVC Rate:
- Have at least one Direct Current Fast Charger,
- Ensure that at least 90% of total monthly peak demand is attributable to EV charging,
- Have a monthly peak demand between 50 kW and 4,999 kW,
- Have a 12-month average load factor of 20% or less,
- Must not primarily serve commercial/public sector EV fleets, and
- Any distributed energy resource behind the account’s meter must not exceed the station’s annual peak demand.
Who is considered a customer under the EVC Rate?
A “customer” refers to the owner or operator of an EV charging station whose facilities are connected to or are intended to be connected to an electricity distributor’s distribution system. A customer is not the end-user of the EV charging service, such as the driver of a vehicle that uses the EV charging station.
How is the EVC Rate calculated?
The EVC Rate reduces the RTSRs that participating EV charging stations would otherwise pay. RTSRs are part of the electricity bill.
Participating customers will pay 17% of the RTSR that other customers in a distributor’s General Service 50 kW to 4,999 kW class will pay. In other words, if a customer’s base RTSR is $100/kW, it would instead pay $17/kW under the EVC Rate.
The EVC Rate better aligns the RTSRs paid by participating EV charging stations with the transmission system costs incurred to serve them.
How do I apply for the EVC Rate?
Eligible customers must opt-in by submitting the Electric Vehicle Charging Rate Opt-In Form.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have an EV charger installed at my home. Am I eligible for the EVC Rate?
No. Charging stations that may participate in the EVC Rate include those that are located:
- On or near highways
- On the site of a retail establishment, plaza, shopping centre
- On the site of a municipal, university, school or hospital building
- On a site associated with a multi-unit residential building, such as a condominium
- On employee parking lots.
Why does the EVC rate not apply to customers with EV chargers installed at home?
The EVC Rate aims to fill gaps in public charging infrastructure in underserved areas. The rate was designed to reduce the cost of electricity for public EV chargers in areas where demand for the service is only beginning to emerge, making it more economical to build charging infrastructure in more communities.
Where can I find more information about the EVC Rate?
More information about the EVC Rate can be found in the OEB’s EVC Rate Overview Final Report.
When can I apply for the EVC Rate?
You can apply for the EVC Rate now; however, rates are not in effect until January 1, 2026. Where a distributor receives a complete opt-in form, customers will receive the EVC Rate at the beginning of the next billing period or as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter. Â
