Ontario Aims for One in 20 Cars to Run on Electricity Alone by 2020

The Ontario government plans to have one in 20 cars in the province run on electricity alone by 2020, according to a statement made by Rick Jennings, Ontario assistant deputy minister, Energy Supply, Transmission and Distribution Policy. To achieve this goal, the province is working on a "smart grid" that will be able to handle the increased demand for electricity from electric cars. This effort will be supported by a partnership with Toyota, which will be testing the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHV) in the province.

Key Takeaways:

The Ontario government aims to have one in 20 cars in the province run on electricity alone by 2020.
The province is developing a "smart grid" to handle the increased demand for electricity from electric cars.
Toyota will be testing the Toyota Prius PHV in Ontario as part of a nationwide trial in Canada.
The trial will involve 15 partners in four provinces and will assess the performance of the Prius PHV in a range of driving and climate conditions.
Feedback from the Canadian tests will help ensure the Prius PHV performs well in countries with cold temperatures, ice, and snow.
Testing will take place through the winter of 2011, and feedback from Canadian drivers will be collected on the Prius PHV's performance.
The Prius PHV is designed to deliver a range of more than 20 kilometers and a top speed of almost 100 KPH on battery alone.
The vehicle achieves a fuel consumption of just 1.75L/100km and CO2 emissions of 41 g/km under specified driving conditions.
Compared to a typical conventional midsize automobile, driving a Prius PHV for one year is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 83% and CO2 emissions by 4 tonnes.
Toyota can conduct technical and market acceptance tests unique to Canada's driving experiences and climatic conditions.
The Ontario government is partnering with the Province of Ontario (Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Transportation), Ontario Power Generation, the City of Toronto, and the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence to test the Prius PHV.

Statistics:

By 2020, the Ontario government aims to have one in 20 cars in the province run on electricity alone.
The Toyota Prius PHV is expected to deliver a range of more than 20 kilometers and a top speed of almost 100 KPH on battery alone.
The vehicle achieves a fuel consumption of just 1.75L/100km and CO2 emissions of 41 g/km under specified driving conditions.
Compared to a typical conventional midsize automobile, driving a Prius PHV for one year is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 83% and CO2 emissions by 4 tonnes.
450 graduate students will receive training on cutting-edge technology through the AUTO21 program.
15 trial partners in four provinces will be involved in the testing of the Prius PHV in the first phase of a nationwide trial.
The Prius PHV will be fitted with telematics equipment to record vehicle and hybrid system performance.
4,000 kg (or 4 tonnes) of CO2 emissions reduction is expected by driving a Prius PHV for one year.

Sources:

Rick Jennings, Ontario assistant deputy minister, Energy Supply, Transmission and Distribution Policy
Toyota Canada president Yoichi Tomihara
Dr. Peter Frise, scientific director and CEO, AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence
Toyota, Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) press release
Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) Fuel Consumption Guide