Requiring apartments and condos to be electric vehicle (EV)-ready and easing the buildout of charging infrastructure in multi-family housing will help increase EV adoption, a report by Clean Energy Canada suggests.

In Electrifying the lot, the Vancouver-based non-profit says while 34 per cent of Canadian households live in an apartment, only 19 per cent of battery EV drivers live in one. A 2023 EV charging survey by Pollution Probe cited in the report found 38 per cent of EV owners living in a multi-unit residential building did not have access to home charging, compared to only two per cent of single-family homeowners. 

Younger Canadians, who are the likeliest to go electric, disproportionately dwell in apartments and condos in large cities.

“In short, those with the most appetite for EVs are those most likely to face the barrier of not having charging access at home,” the report states.

Barriers to EV charging in multi-unit housing

A major obstacle to installing charging equipment in apartments and condos is the high cost. Clean Energy Canada says retrofitting a Level 2 charger in an apartment building can cost approximately three times more than in a single-family home.

A survey of Toronto and Vancouver residents conducted by Clean Energy Canada found almost two-thirds of respondents identified the lack of home EV charging as a minor or major barrier. Three-fourths of townhome and apartment residents noted it as a problem, compared to 54 per cent of people living in a single-family house.

The survey found 78 per cent of people aged 18 to 44 in Metro Vancouver leaned toward buying an EV, compared to 63 per cent of those over 45. Of those aged 20 to 44, 60 per cent lived in an apartment, compared to half of people over 44. 

Forty-five per cent of survey respondents who said charging was a barrier to EV adoption also indicated that access to one in their apartment building would help.

Solutions to have more EV chargers

Federal and provincial policies can address the gap between the need for EV chargers and existing capacity, Clean Energy Canada says. British Columbia and Quebec, which lead Canada in EV adoption, offer the most examples to draw upon.

Federal policies include: 

• New multi-unit residential buildings should be required to have 100 per cent EV readiness;
• a right-to-charge legislation that makes it easier for residents to get the support of strata or condo boards to install EV charging infrastructure on their own;
• funding for existing multi-unit residential buildings to initiate EV-readiness retrofits; and 
• a well-funded charging strategy that sets targets for charge points in multi-unit residential buildings.

On the municipal level: 

• bylaws or green development standards that mandate EV readiness in new multi-unit residential buildings; and
• funding programs to add EV charging to existing multi-unit residential buildings.

"Costs, electrical infrastructure, and regulations can all pose barriers. Thankfully, these can be overcome with good policies," the report states.