A Resilient, Affordable and Reliable Charging Depot for Fleet Electrification
Niagara Falls is a leader in the clean energy industry, by way of having the world's first large scale hydro-electric generating system. This clean energy solution brought affordable power to the region that grew the local economy in the industrial age. Our solution builds off of the vision of the past, by providing a resilient multi-fleet charging depot that will bring reliable and affordable power to charge electric vehicle fleets. The upfront cost and availability of charging infrastructure is a significant barrier many fleets face while evaluating their options to adopt electric vehicles. By developing this charging depot, we believe fleets will electrify their vehicles faster than planned, and also believe to see positive environmental and health outcomes through lower levels of ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) which can be measured. The transition to electric vehicles has significant economic, environmental and health impacts that will be measured and verified.
This project will have positive economic, environmental and social outcomes for the community through the development of a multi-fleet EV charging depot. The project will be phased in, over a three-year period, with the ability to provide up to 5 MW of power for dedicated medium and heavy duty (MD/HD) electric vehicle charging. By building the site to support multiple fleets, we are optimizing the costs of developing charging capabilities while ensuring that the does not have any negative impacts on the border electrical grid. The project will provide the infrastructure needed to support 5MW of charging and be future proofed, such that the charging infrastructure of today will be able to be replaced with new electric vehicle charging technology without disrupting the overall site. The project may include solar vehicle-ports to protect vehicles from the snow while also generating electricity and battery storage, creating a microgrid.The team will build, own, and operate the site and provide for charging agreements for fleets to use the site and access power, such as through power purchase agreements. This approach will allow for fleets within the region to focus their efforts solely on vehicle electrification. This provides a positive signal for fleets in the region that access to charging infrastructure is not a barrier to EV adoption. The acceleration of EV deployment will lead to improvements in air quality by replacing diesel vehicles that are making deliveries across the bridge to Canada or bringing waste to be processed at Covanta's site.