The CleanBC Go Electric EV Charger Rebate Program is offering millions of dollars in rebates to help reduce the cost for owners to install electrical infrastructure in condo and apartment buildings to make them ready for electric vehicles.
The Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) is offering help to spread the message, particularly for “garage orphans” who live in condos, rental apartment buildings, or homes without a garage, through a checklist and a webinar in 2021.
“This is a rare opportunity to get essential building upgrades subsidized by (the) government” said John Stonier, President of VEVA, “And yet it is not well known. We want to change that and help these owners access the money.”
In April 2011, Vancouver began mandating that 20 per cent of parking spaces in new condos, as a minimum, would be wired for EV charging, according to VEVA. Fourteen cities in the province have since adopted “EV ready” policies, and the standard for pre-wired parking spaces for all new buildings is currently 100 per cent coverage.
“But what of the 98 per cent of legacy buildings built before these EV friendly policies were adopted? While the technical challenges for adding EV charging for every suite in a building are not trivial, most buildings can accommodate additional electrical loads without rebuilding main electrical feeds,” said VEVA in its news release. “New power managing electronics make this possible.”
However, retrofitting wiring to each parking space can be costly and would require buy-in by the building owner. But the provincial government’s new charger rebate program should improve the overall situation, according to VEVA.
“This is a world leading initiative,” said John Stonier, President of VEVA. “Nowhere has any government stepped up with this level of assistance to ensure that all multi-family dwellings will be prepared for an electric vehicle future.”
The two main programs that should help with the issue are related to the EV Ready funding to support the technical planning for retrofit projects, and the EV Infrastructure funding that provides up to $600 per space up to $80,000.
The program offer ends on Feb.28, 2021. VEVA said it is providing an EV Ready/Infrastructure Checklist to start preparations now, and has scheduled a public webinar for Jan. 6, 2021. More information can be found here: www.veva.ca.
