As Toronto ponders EV mandate for rideshare drivers, experts say they can't lead the charge without chargers

As Toronto is considering a proposal to mandate that all rideshare drivers use electric vehicles — the city urgently needs to prioritize upgrading its charging infrastructure specifically in high-rise, multi-unit buildings, where many drivers live, an environmental agency and academics say.

According to Ian Klesmer, the director of strategy and grants with The Atmospheric Fund (TAF), a climate agency and non-profit funded by government endowments, their research has shown that many rideshare drivers are low-income earners or new immigrants who live in apartments that need to be upgraded with electric chargers.

"When it comes to the ride-hailing drivers, this is actually a really important group that we think can lead on the electrification wave," said Klesmer.

On Sept. 21, the city's Economic and Community Development Committee considered a proposal to transition what they called the vehicle-for-hire industry to net-zero emissions by 2030. It was adopted with amendments and will be considered by city council on Oct. 11. 

In the proposal, Carleton Grant, the executive director of Municipal Licensing and Standards, states that transportation represents one third of the city's total emissions. Of that, about four to six per cent of those emissions are derived from rideshare trips. 

But a lack of chargers in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) currently makes this plan difficult to achieve without significant further investment and action, said Olivier Trescases, the director of University of Toronto Electric Vehicle Research Centre.

If the city wants to pass laws mandating that rideshare drivers must use electric vehicles, there will be "serious equity issues" if they don't have easy access to charging where they live, he said. 

"That's a major problem the city needs to address if they're going to mandate that." 

Maaz Inam, who has driven for Uber since 2016, told CBC Toronto his major concerns with the proposal are around infrastructure, the time it currently takes to charge a vehicle, and the cost of an electric car.

"The platform is not there, you have to charge up to an hour to get a full tank," said Inam, who lives in Mississauga and drives all over the GTA.

Inam has driven a Tesla Model 3 before, and though he was impressed with the car, he says its battery "was draining down pretty fast."

While Inam says he's sure those issues are likely to be resolved as the technology improves, he says there aren't enough chargers in high-rise residential apartment buildings.

Though he doesn't live in a high-rise himself, he has a family member who does and owns a Tesla. If there are only a few charging stations, "everyone's going to have to wait a long time to get their charging done," he said. 

In December 2021, Toronto amended a zoning bylaw to require that all residential parking spaces provided to people who live in an apartment or condo be equipped with an energized outlet clearly marked for charging.