More Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stalls in new non-residential buildings in Vancouver to meet increasing needs

VANCOUVER City Council has approved requirements to expand access to EV charging, as more residents and fleet managers transition to electric vehicles. This supports the City’s Climate Emergency Action Plan goal that by 2030, 50 per cent of all kilometres driven on Vancouver’s roads will be by zero emissions vehicles.

Tuesday’s approved changes mean residents and visitors will find more EV charging options when parking in non-residential buildings. The new regulations require EV charging infrastructure in 45 per cent of parking stalls in most types of new non-residential buildings, 100 per cent of new car-share stalls, and all stalls in new hotels. These changes align with recent updates made by the City of North Vancouver, and will have minimal increases in new construction costs, while significantly reducing or eliminating future costs of retrofitting for EV chargers in these buildings.

These new requirements build on a decade of work by the City to expand EV charging, and complement existing policies that require EV-ready stalls in new residential construction, ongoing efforts to expand the public charging network, and retrofits in multi-family rental buildings to provide Vancouver residents and visitors with more convenient access to charging points. To continue to support accessible charging for those that need it most, we’re further expanding the public charging network with a focus on neighbourhoods with less access to home charging.

In 2020, 10 per cent of all new vehicles purchased in BC were EVs, the highest rate of any jurisdiction in North America. The City estimates that in Vancouver, between 12 and 17 per cent of new vehicles are EVs, in part due to improved infrastructure, policy, and incentives provided by all levels of government. The City is working to support the growing number of EVs by ensuring charging infrastructure is available now and in the years to come as mass adoption will continue to match the new federal mandate that 100 per cent of vehicle sales are zero-emissions by 2035 to meet Canada’s national net-zero targets.

The City says that burning fossil fuels in vehicles is responsible for nearly 40 per cent of the carbon pollution in Vancouver, so transitioning the way we move around the city is a big part of the solution to climate change. That’s why the City continues to invest in infrastructure to make active and clean modes of transport safer and more convenient for residents, support better transit, and encourage zero-emissions vehicles, which have significantly lower emissions per passenger-kilometer travelled than conventional gas and diesel cars.

This regulations outlined in this by-law will take effect on June 1, 2022.