Commercial building operators will have to send their receipts to Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation to confirm their eligibility for rebates that the former government approved for electric vehicle chargers. Instructions were sent yesterday afternoon in a memo announcing the cancellation of the Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Incentive Program (WEVCIP), which was funded with revenue from the recently terminated cap and trade system.

The grant covered 80 per cent of capital costs, to a maximum of $7,500 per charging space, for level 2 electric vehicle chargers installed for tenants’ use. Employers holding control of staff parking facilities were also eligible for the incentive. Vehicles can be recharged in four to six hours using a level 2 charger versus the eight to 12 hours needed to recharge with a level 1 charger.

Ontario’s new provincial government has now added some extra qualifications for proponents trying to collect previously approved EVC grants. Owners/managers who moved quickly on the former government’s promise will be in position to receive the funds, while those who have not yet obtained the equipment or signed a contract to authorize the investment will be out of luck.

Approved WEVCIP recipients have been informed they will have to “provide evidence acceptable to the Ministry” of receipts or purchase orders made no later than July 3, which must be submitted to Ministry by the end of the day on July 11. Installation of the chargers and a follow-up report are then required no later than November 12, 2018.

“If any of the above requirements are not met, you will no longer be eligible to receive WEVCIP funds despite your receipt of the Notification of Approval letter,” yesterday’s notice warns. “For those who did not receive a Notification of Approval letter, this letter is meant to notify you of the cancellation of the WEVCIP program.”