The study shows that if Toronto reaches a 35 per cent electric truck share by 2030, electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles would account for less than 1.5 per cent of current daily electricity consumption and peak demand. That increase falls well within normal day-to-day fluctuations on the grid.
The research also found that focusing early electrification on lighter trucks, targeting charger deployment to high-traffic locations, enabling shared charging across fleets and shifting more charging to overnight depot locations, cities can significantly reduce infrastructure costs without slowing adoption.
Across Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Hamilton and Markham, these strategies together could cut total charging infrastructure costs by 60 to 75 per cent by 2030, the report said. That represents roughly $1 billion in cumulative investment savings.
“When planning assumes that light delivery vans and heavy long-haul trucks electrify at the same rate, it overstates near-term electricity demand and charger costs,” said Chandan Bhardwaj, senior transportation analyst with the Pembina Institute.
“Our analysis of real-world truck travel data shows that early electrification is led by lighter trucks, which require far less charging power. That distinction has major implications for how municipalities and utilities plan grid investment today,” he said.
This is the first study of electrification of trucks in Canada.
