The City of Mississauga "Unplugs" Their Free Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

The City of Mississauga has decided to unplug free EV charging options on its 30 charging stations that live on city grounds effective April 1st and no, it’s not an April Fool’s joke.

How much does it cost to charge an EV in Mississauga? With the change, using a City of Mississauga Level 2 charger rings in at 30 cents a kilowatt hour. Across a five-hour charge, it’s around $10.50.
Over that, select charging stations will see an additional $2.00 per hour fee.
Also, the $5,000 Federal EV rebate ended earlier this year, which might impact EV purchases.

To reduce monopolization by selfish EV drivers, City of Mississauga charging stations will carry a maximum of 10 hours.

Plus, there’ll be a $5.00 per hour “idle fee” if you’re still plugged in but finished charging, with the fee only charged during the day. There is a 30-minute grace period before the extra fee kicks in. This idle fee is charged by several other charging station companies and it’s a smart way to let others utilize these charging stations.

Any non-EVs who park in an EV charging spot and get caught will win a special prize of a $125 ticket.

The end of free, according to the city, is a result of the misuse of charging stations including EV drivers staying far too long at the charger.

Revenue-wise, this change is expected to produce between $125,000 and $175,000, prior to maintenance and operational costs, as per the city.

These City of Mississauga EV charging stations account for nearly 15% of public stations, with additional city-owned chargers coming in 2025.
Currently, the over 200 public charging stations in Mississauga have hourly fees between $1.00 to $2.50 per hour.