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The Government of Canada’s new regulations have targeted 2026 for one-fifth of all passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks sold in Canada to run on electricity. By 2030, this increases to 60% of all sales, and by 2035 to 100%. In this two-part series we explain how to keep your condo parking scalable to meet increasing EV demand, beginning with the initial steps of discovery and policy making.
Information Gathering and Assessment
To help inform your installation decisions, it is critical to review your current parking policies, assess your electrical capacity, and understand your budget requirements and commitment for the year.
If your assessment establishes you have capacity limitations, you can take a few steps to address concerns, including:
- Conduct an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audit: A qualified energy management expert will provide information regarding your building’s electrical capacity and energy saving solutions. They will also review the project payback, comparing the cost of your initial investment to upgrade with the annual returns from the project.
- Speak to your local utility: Your local utility company can help facilitate the process by providing operation and guidance surrounding the EV charging requirements in the building.
Create an Advisory Committee
Reach out to your property management company to create an advisory committee, including:
- EV owner(s)
- Community representatives/residents
- Your board members
- Your electric utility
- Your electrical contractor
- Your lawyer
- Representatives from condo communities who have completed an EV charging project
The advisory committee can initiate a discussion to better understand the steps to install charging infrastructure, determine where responsibilities lie and provide a basic level of understanding.
Work with an EV Charging Provider
Consult with an EV charging provider to understand your options. Ideally, it’s possible to create and install systems that allow for multiple condo owners to charge their EVs at once using energy management and power sharing systems.
Consider Your EV Policy
Your policy should be in place before moving ahead with the first installation. In theory, the most scalable EV policy is an opt-in policy ensuring only those who need EV chargers pay for installation in their existing parking spot. This gradually adds more chargers to your parking lot and puts the onus on the driver. Unfortunately, it’s not always that cut and dry due to installation challenges, i.e. chargers need to be in a central location, or closer to the power source. Your provider will determine feasibility of your preferred plan based on your building’s layout, your electrical system configuration, and electrical capacity.
By taking the right first steps, you can create a clearer path forward to introduce a scalable policy that allows you to keep up with growing EV demand.
The condo experts at CPO Management Inc, a full-service property management company in Toronto and the GTA, has the experience you need to implement an EV strategy and scalable parking solutions for your condo corporation. Reach out to us today to learn more about our condo services.