Oshawa’s first EVs delayed | the star

By Aniyah Morales On Sep 2, 2022

The City of Oshawa’s first electric vehicles likely won’t arrive until late 2023.

Oshawa — like many vehicle buyers in the current market — is dealing with order delays due to high demand and difficulties with vehicle production.

After years of consideration, Oshawa took the first steps toward including full-sized electric vehicles (EVs) in the fleet this year.

“Hopefully our real first steps into fleet electrification in the years ahead,” Coun. Derek Giberson said via email.

Four EVs were approved in the 2022 capital budget — two for the bylaw enforcement department and two for building services.

Despite attempts to order early, the most recent time estimate is that Oshawa’s EVs will arrive in fall 2023.

“There is the possibility we could see them as early as the summer (of 2023) … Ideally we would have accepted delivery of them this year,” said Aaron McLeod, Oshawa’s Fleet Services manager. “I was hoping to receive them earlier.”

While waiting for the EVs, Oshawa city staff partnered with the Region of Durham on a federal government grant submission for infrastructure funding for electric vehicles. If the grant request is successful it could mean $400,000 in government funding for complete charging infrastructure. That support would be added to the $500,000 Oshawa earmarked for support infrastructure for EVs in the 2022 budget.

“The scope is well beyond what I had originally intended. It’s for all the right reasons. I’m more than happy to push it along,” said McLeod.