In a boost for residents and visitors, the new requirement, which comes into effect in June 2022, requires 45 per cent of most new non-residential buildings to include EV charging infrastructure

With more and more residents and fleet managers transitioning to electric vehicles and the Vancouver’s 2030 Climate Emergency Action Plan goal to have 50 per cent of all city kilometres driven by zero-emission vehicles, the council has moved to provide more charging options to meet the growing demand.

The new requirements mandate that 45 per cent of all parking stalls in new non-residential buildings must have charging stations. The percentage rises to 100 per cent for new car-share stalls and every stall in newly-constructed hotels. These changes will result in minimal new construction and future retrofitting costs in these buildings.

The new by-law, which will take effect on June 1, 2022, will bring the city in-line with the District of North Vancouver’s existing policies. It will also help Canada achieve the new federal mandate of 100 per cent of all new vehicle purchases are zero-emission models.

Ongoing work

According to city documents, Vancouver is taking this action not only because of the Climate Emergency Action Goal, but due to British Columbia’s leading rate of EV purchases in 2020. Last year, 10 per cent of all new vehicle purchases in the province were EVs, beating every other jurisdiction in North America.

It’s taken about a decade of work by city officials in Vancouver to reach this point. The Action Plan covers a variety of sectors, with the goal of expanding the public charging networks and focussing on improving availability for neighbourhoods with less access to home charging for their vehicles.

So far the city has been able to expand EV charging, complement existing EV-ready stations in new residential construction, and build retrofits in multi-family rental buildings.

Adapting to demand

In Vancouver alone, the city estimates that 12 to 17 per cent of new vehicles are currently EVs, thanks to the continual improvement in available supporting infrastructure, policy and incentives from municipal, provincial and federal governments.

With the burning of fossil fuels contributing nearly 40 per cent of the carbon pollution in the city of Vancouver, municipalities continue to invest in charging infrastructure and make it easier for residents to own and operate electric vehicles in a growing number of locations.

This latest by-law makes it more likely as EV sales continue to increase at a steady rate, the biggest city in British Columbia will be ready to provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the public’s need.