DCFC in Canada? (Toronto, Montreal, etc.)

[VindictivePantz]

Getting ready to make a trip to Canada, sticking to major metros, and it looks like DCFC is pretty darn good. With a quick glance through Plugshare, it looks like there are a lot of decent choices and the hardest part might be getting through the US.

I don't yet have a Tesla adapter, and I've gone on several long trips before, just not through Canada.

Any general thoughts?

I'd rather drive my MME than my ICE.

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[MacherAWD]

Getting ready to make a trip to Canada, sticking to major metros, and it looks like DCFC is pretty darn good. With a quick glance through Plugshare, it looks like there are a lot of decent choices and the hardest part might be getting through the US.

I don't yet have a Tesla adapter, and I've gone on several long trips before, just not through Canada.

Any general thoughts?

I'd rather drive my MME than my ICE.

We have taken ours into Quebec, up to Quebec city. Public Charging worked every time for us to activate random Canadian charge networks in French. No issues at all for us, generally they were lower speed in that area but worked fine. We also easily found a hotel with free L2 over night which was very nice.

 

[ekroy]

Getting ready to make a trip to Canada, sticking to major metros, and it looks like DCFC is pretty darn good. With a quick glance through Plugshare, it looks like there are a lot of decent choices and the hardest part might be getting through the US.

I don't yet have a Tesla adapter, and I've gone on several long trips before, just not through Canada.

Any general thoughts?

I'd rather drive my MME than my ICE.

Where are you coming from / going to? FLO is very reliable. However many of their units are 50kw. Electrify Canada has similar performance to Electrify America.

 

[VindictivePantz]

Where are you coming from / going to? FLO is very reliable. However many of their units are 50kw. Electrify Canada has similar performance to Electrify America.

Chicago to Toronto, Montreal and probably a couple of other areas.

 

[VirgilBoy21MME]

You may want to consider downloading the Ivy app and setting up an account. They are located at pretty much all the rest stops along the 401. I recently did a road trip from the Niagara region to Ottawa and had pretty decent luck at two stops at the OnRoute centers east of Toronto.

https://ivycharge.com/public-charging/

 

[VindictivePantz]

You may want to consider downloading the Ivy app and setting up an account. They are located at pretty much all the rest stops along the 401. I recently did a road trip from the Niagara region to Ottawa and had pretty decent luck at two stops at the OnRoute centers east of Toronto.

https://ivycharge.com/public-charging/

Thank you!

It'll be getting through Michigan as the biggest challenge. For as heavy of a travel corridor it is between Chicago and parts of Michigan, there are not a lot of options. (Though several have been marked as under construction/planned for a couple of years.)

 

[canmachine]

Petro Canada has a fairly good network. I used one just off the 401 in Brockville Ontario and it worked fine. It's the only time I have used a DCFC. No app needed just swiped my CC.

 

[VirgilBoy21MME]

Petro Canada has a fairly good network. I used one just off the 401 in Brockville Ontario and it worked fine. It's the only time I have used a DCFC. No app needed just swiped my CC.

That was one of my back up stops, if the Trenton OnRoute center chargers didn't work out for me eastbound. PetroCanada also have a location just off the 401 in Bowmanville, and there is a Shell recharge, just north of it as well

 

[Guy]

In Quebec Flo and Circuit Electrique are everywhere and very reliable. Their 180 kW chargers work very well with the Mach-E

 

[933233311602]

Any general thoughts?

Install the apps you may need ahead of time, in case you can't active the chargers through Ford Pass. You probably don't need to set up accounts on all of them, just have the apps on your phone and ready if you need them.

ChargePoint, Flo, Ivy, PetroCanada are the major ones in my area around Ontario.

Look into your phone provider's roaming and data charges while traveling Canada. They may be reasonable or may be costly.

If you have an auto club membership other than Ford, like AAA, double check what your plan covers outside the USA and how.

Double check what your health insurance covers outside of USA and if they expect you to return to a USA hospital.

Your Visa and Mastercards will almost certainly work in Canada. We are 99% chip-and-PIN or RFID tap for credit cards. Swiping the mag stripe is almost never done. Know your card PIN if it has a chip.

You can likely use your debit card in Canada at an ATM for $CAD cash if you need. However, you will probably get a better exchange rate by bringing US$ and exchanging it for $CAD before crossing the border. We use coins for $1 and $2 denominations. You can exchange remaining $CAD to $US before leaving Canada at the border.

Read up on what's allowed to cross the border. Packaged food only; no fresh fruit or vegetables (for concerns of pests / disease hitching a ride into the country). Yes; we have legal marijuana stores in Ontario but you can't take it home with you. No; we do not allow guns at all, no matter how legally licensed they are at home. Don't be surprised if border officers ask you strange questions like, "Where do you work?" They're looking for evidence that you're visiting Canada as a guest and have a life back home that you intend to go back to.

No; our border officers are not armed. Yes; our police are.

Also, we use metric, so be aware that your Mach E may read speed limit signs incorrectly if it thinks "100" is Mph.

 

[VindictivePantz]

Thank you! Really appreciate you and everyone else with their ideas and input.

Install the apps you may need ahead of time, in case you can't active the chargers through Ford Pass. You probably don't need to set up accounts on all of them, just have the apps on your phone and ready if you need them.

ChargePoint, Flo, Ivy, PetroCanada are the major ones in my area around Ontario.

Look into your phone provider's roaming and data charges while traveling Canada. They may be reasonable or may be costly.

Already set there - just have to make a quick tweak to my phone account so I don't get dinged.

If you have an auto club membership other than Ford, like AAA, double check what your plan covers outside the USA and how.

Good call. I am 99% certain that the other two I have work in Canada but will double check.

Double check what your health insurance covers outside of USA and if they expect you to return to a USA hospital.

Good there!

Your Visa and Mastercards will almost certainly work in Canada. We are 99% chip-and-PIN or RFID tap for credit cards. Swiping the mag stripe is almost never done. Know your card PIN if it has a chip.

You can likely use your debit card in Canada at an ATM for $CAD cash if you need. However, you will probably get a better exchange rate by bringing US$ and exchanging it for $CAD before crossing the border. We use coins for $1 and $2 denominations. You can exchange remaining $CAD to $US before leaving Canada at the border.

Yep - Already done. I don't want to get picked at with "conversion fees" on card transactions.

Read up on what's allowed to cross the border. Packaged food only; no fresh fruit or vegetables (for concerns of pests / disease hitching a ride into the country). Yes; we have legal marijuana stores in Ontario but you can't take it home with you. No; we do not allow guns at all, no matter how legally licensed they are at home.

But 'merica .

Don't be surprised if border officers ask you strange questions like, "Where do you work?" They're looking for evidence that you're visiting Canada as a guest and have a life back home that you intend to go back to.

I've traveled to Canuckistan a few times, but always by plane, and am used to the border questions.

No; our border officers are not armed. Yes; our police are.

Hoping to not have to witness the difference.

Also, we use metric, so be aware that your Mach E may read speed limit signs incorrectly if it thinks "100" is Mph.

Many years ago, I had flown to Canada, rented a car and panicked about having to use the KPH portion of the speedo. At least everyone drives on the RIGHT side of the road, unlike our British, Australian, and New Zealand friends.

Also, slightly NSFW, but:

 

[MacherAWD]

Also, we use metric, so be aware that your Mach E may read speed limit signs incorrectly if it thinks "100" is Mph.

There are multiple settings for this, last time I changed the speedo to km/hr but I left the Nav in miles so that I knew timing/distance better.

 

[933233311602]

There are multiple settings for this, last time I changed the speedo to km/hr but I left the Nav in miles so that I knew timing/distance better.

I am certain that there are also older Canadians who still prefer miles and who have their digital dashes set for miles instead of kilometers.

 

[kltye]

I'm also planning to make the same trip in a couple weeks (just as far as Toronto at most); please check in to PlugShare especially if stations aren't working That Red-E in Stevensville is really key to making my trip work well. (I do have a J3400 -> CCS adapter, but I'd like to avoid giving Tesla any money if possible)

 

[Sikkun]

Your Visa and Mastercards will almost certainly work in Canada. We are 99% chip-and-PIN or RFID tap for credit cards. Swiping the mag stripe is almost never done. Know your card PIN if it has a chip.

Very few US cards have a PIN (credit, debit does). But they will just default to Chip + Signature in other countries or no signature required.

Not that most people will make you sign anything. But generally you have no problems using Visa/Mastercard anywhere in the world even with our lame Chip + Signature cards.

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