EV charging rate overview
If you own or operate a commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging station, you may be eligible for the Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) rate.
This electricity transmission rate (included in the delivery charge) is designed specifically for eligible EV charging stations in Ontario to better align the transmission costs of serving EV chargers with low load factors.
It reduces the Retail Transmission Service Rates (RTSRs) paid by participating EV charging station owners or operators.
The EVC rate will be updated regularly, based on Ontario's Uniform Transmission Rates (UTRs), which collect transmitter revenue and charge wholesale market participants, including electricity distributors, such as Hydro Ottawa.
Who is eligible for the EVC rate?
EV charging stations must meet all the following criteria to participate in the EVC rate:
- Have at least one Direct Current Fast Charger (also referred to as a Level 3 charger).
- Ensure that at least 90 per cent of total monthly peak demand is attributable to EV charging, with auxiliary loads (e.g. lighting, etc.) not exceeding 10 per cent.
- Have a monthly peak demand between 50 kW and 4,999 kW.
- Have a 12-month average load factor of 20 per cent or less.
- Must not primarily serve commercial/public sector EV fleets.
- Any distributed energy resource behind the account’s meter must not exceed the account’s annual peak demand.
Who is considered a “customer” under the EVC rate?
A “customer” refers to the owner or operator of an EV charging station whose facilities are connected to, or are intended to be connected to, an electricity distributor’s distribution system. A customer is not the end-user of the EV charging service, such as the driver of a vehicle that uses the EV charging station.
Are customers who have an EV charger installed at their home eligible for the EVC rate?
Hydro Ottawa customers must be in the General Service 50–1,499 kW or General Service 1,500–4,999 kW class to be eligible.
Charging stations that may be eligible to participate in the EVC rate include those that are located:
- On or near highways.
- On the site of a retail establishment, plaza, or shopping center.
- On the site of a municipal, university, school, or hospital building.
- On a site associated with a multi-unit residential building, such as a condominium.
- Or employee parking lots.
Why does the EVC rate not apply to customers with EV chargers installed at home?
The EVC Rate aims to fill gaps in public charging infrastructure in underserved areas. The rate is designed to reduce the cost of electricity for public EV chargers in areas where demand for the service is only beginning to emerge, making it more economical to build charging infrastructure in more communities.
How is the EVC rate calculated?
The EVC Rate reduces the RTSRs that participating EV charging station owners or operators would otherwise pay. RTSRs are part of the electricity bill.
Participating customers will pay 17 per cent of the RTSR that other customers in a distributor’s General Service 50 kW to 4,999 kW class will pay. In other words, if a customer’s base RTSR is $1.00/kW, it would instead pay $0.17/kW under the EVC Rate.
How do I apply for the EVC rate?
To apply for the EVC rate, complete and submit an opt-in form to Hydro Ottawa.
Have your electricity bill on hand to complete the form. You must enter the required information (i.e. name on the account, your 20-digit account number) exactly as it appears on your electricity bill. If your information is not entered as it appears on your bill, Hydro Ottawa may not be able to process your opt-in form.
How to submit your EVC rate opt-in form
Here’s the two-step process to send us your form:
- Complete and save your form
- Click this EVC rate opt-in form link to open the fillable PDF.
- Complete all the required fields.
- Save the completed form to your computer (e.g., to your desktop).
- Upload and submit your form
- Go to our Contact Us page: hydroottawa.com/contactus
- Under the “Subject” drop-down menu, select “EVC Rate”.
- Fill in your information on the page.
- Click the “Choose File” button to attach your form.
- Click “Submit” to send it to us.
You can also send us your completed form by mail.
Mail:
Hydro Ottawa, PO Box 8700
Ottawa, ON K1G 3S4
Attn: Billing – EVC Rate Form
When will the EVC rate be made available to eligible customers?
Hydro Ottawa will make the EVC rate available to eligible customers who have completed the opt-in form in early 2026, once our OEB-approved January 1, 2026, distribution rates become effective.
EVC rate eligibility
You will remain enrolled for as long as the account continues to meet the eligibility requirements, and you may opt out of the EVC rate at any time.
If your account ceases to meet the eligibility requirements and no longer qualifies, you are required to notify Hydro Ottawa within 30 days. Once Hydro Ottawa is notified, the EVC rate will be removed from your account.
Hydro Ottawa will be reviewing the load factor eligibility for customers on an annual basis.
Have more questions?
For more information on the EVC rate, read our FAQs or contact us. You can also find more information about the EVC rate in the OEB’s EVC Rate Overview Final Report.