CanuckEVDriver said:
I also would like to see one added in somewhere between Belleville & Oshawa. I live in Ottawa, and I'm thinking of driving to London next Summer. The way the L3 stations are divided up, it looks like I'll need to top up in Kingston, then hope I can get to Oshawa. The rest of the trip seems to be no problem from Oshawa to London.
I once heard that the EnRoute stations were going to setup L3 chargers, but that was before Doogie Ford took away the incentives to build up the infrastructure.
One in Cobourg would be nice, maybe at the Big Apple? That's a nice place for a rest stop.
For driving between Ottawa and Toronto (and beyond) in an EV, highway 416 to 401 is overrated. Sure the driving time is a bit shorter, but the higher speeds and longer distance increases the amount of energy used and thus the amount time you need to spend recharging, costing more time in the long run.
In theory, a much better option would be to take highway 7 to 37 to 401 (via Tweed). Although (according to Google) it is 10 minutes slower (ignoring traffic), it is 38 km shorter (city hall to city hall).
Another good option (in theory) is highway 7 to 115 to 401 (via Peterborough). It is 20 minutes slower than the "fastest" route but 49 km shorter.
These routes are also a lot more scenic and much more relaxing on a nice day (especially with ProPilot Assist).
The only problem with these two routes is the lack of DC Fast Charging. There is one in Carleton Place (only 50 km from Ottawa) and then the next one isn't until Havelock (230 km from Ottawa City Hall), which depending on your range and the time of year, could be a stretch. It is also well after the turn off for Highway 37, so you would have to charge in Belleville (229 km from Ottawa City Hall) instead.
Now this might not be an issue for some, but the lack of a backup plan (should you drain your battery faster than expected) or redundancy (should the charging station you want to use not be available or operational) makes it risky.
Optimally, I would like to see multiple DC Fast Charging stations in Perth, Sharbot Lake and Tweed. And for all those Tesla fans out there, you aren't any better off, as there aren't any Super Chargers along Highway 7.