The Ontario authorities will spend $91 million to extend electrical automobile charging infrastructure in rural municipalities in an effort to speed up EV adoption exterior the province’s massive city centres.

Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney launched Tuesday the Rural Connectivity Fund, designed to place chargers at areas equivalent to carpool heaps, parks, hockey arenas and different group hubs in Ontario cities.

“Offering all Ontarians with handy, public entry to quick and dependable charging will assist us transfer in the direction of our objective of constructing made-in-Ontario electrical automobiles the best choice for each passenger and industrial drivers,” she mentioned in a launch.

The brand new program will fill present gaps in public charger availability, the province added, constructing on different initiatives, such because the increasing Ivy Charging Community that’s including public fast-chargers alongside key highways all through Ontario.

Whereas the Ontario authorities has been actively courting electrical automobile producers to construct out its auto sector, EV advocates have criticized its hands-off strategy to insurance policies equivalent to buy EV incentives and charging infrastructure that help EV adoption.

Except for the $91 million dedication, the federal government offered few particulars on the brand new fund. Program eligibility, the applying course of for rural municipalities and potential charger areas might be introduced later this 12 months.

Presently, the province mentioned there are greater than 1,800 public charging stations throughout Ontario, in comparison with roughly 75,000 EVs registered within the province as of February.