Bruce Power donates $150,000 to Electric Vehicle Discovery Centre in North York

A new attraction officially opened Wednesday (May 17) to educate the public about all aspects of Electric Vehicles (EVs), which will help decarbonize Ontario’s transportation sector in the coming decades.

Plug ’n Drive’s Electric Vehicle Discovery Centre, which Bruce Power has supported with a $150,000 commitment over the next three years, offers visitors the opportunity to test drive EVs, learn more about how the evolving clean technology works, and connects them with local dealers who specialize in EVs.

The centre, located at 1126 Finch Ave. W., Unit 1, North York, is a public-private partnership amongst Plug ’n Drive, the Ontario government and private business.

The centre was borne from the Ontario government’s Climate Change Action Plan directive to increase educational opportunities around EVs, showing the public how they are quickly becoming a viable mode of transportation in our province, said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s president and chief executive officer, who also sits on the Plug ’n Drive board of directors.

“By bringing together the business community and Plug ’n Drive, which does incredible work increasing awareness of EVs, we are developing the future of this carbon-free source of transportation, which will have long-term benefits for the environment and the health of Ontarians,” Rencheck said. “Bruce Power is proud to have played a role in the EV Discovery Centre through our long-term relationship with Plug ’n Drive.”

Bruce Power and Plug ’n Drive have been working together since 2013, partnering on the installation of eight EV charging stations across the region, policy evaluation papers, holding awareness events and developing an interactive smartphone app, said Cara Clairman, Plug ’n Drive’s president and chief executive officer.

“The Discovery Centre is a natural evolution of all the educational work Plug ’n Drive has done over the years,” Clairman said. “Our relationship with Bruce Power and other like-minded companies has allowed us to reach far more people than we thought possible back in 2013, and we are proud of our collaboration and what it has done to promote Ontario’s clean transportation future.”



Bruce Power has donated $150,000 to Plug 'n Drive's Electric Vehicle Discovery Centre in North York; cutting the ribbon, are Glen Murray, Ontario minister of environment and climate change; and Cara Clairman, Plug 'n Drive's president and chief executive officer; second from right, is Mike Rencheck, president and chief executive of Bruce Power; photo courtesy of Bruce Power