Pressure on B.C. landlords to upgrade buildings with EV chargers

With more people looking to go electric, there are questions about how older buildings without charging stations are dealing with demand.

David Hutniak, CEO of Landlord BC, says while the demand is there, it is not very high, yet. The organization is aware more drivers are moving in that direction.

Demand may be affected by a couple of reasons, including cost, as not everyone can afford or get their hands on an electric vehicle, or they may not choose to go down that road due to concerns over infrastructure — such as their building not being equipped with a charging station.

Hutniak says one issue in older buildings is the cost to make those stations available, which includes ensuring BC Hydro has enough juice to power the stations.

“Do you have enough electrical feed that’s adequate from BC Hydro? Usually, it’s not. That capacity has to be increased and that is at the cost of the building owner, and that alone is easily $150,000 or more, it really depends. What seems so simple and straightforward on the surface, it rarely is, when you’re talking about older buildings,” Hutniak told CityNews.

There is also the consideration of potential electrical repairs.

“Invariably, if you’re going to install a couple of EV chargers, it’s going to require looking at your entire electrical system, particularly in an older rental building and you’re not just going to do this on a one-off basis. You’re going to look at the broader building, and increase that capacity to handle EV charging; take advantage of the opportunity to do upgrades for the future, [with] new panels, etc.”

Hutniak says newer buildings don’t face the same level of upgrades.

“All new construction, it’s largely mandated now, but even if it isn’t, you’re at least putting the conduit behind the walls. So, the infrastructure is there. Certainly, we’re seeing on all the new builds out in Fraser Valley, they have that infrastructure.”

He says because costs would be downloaded onto owners, they’re trying to figure out how to recoup that money.

This summer, it was revealed some electric vehicle charging rebates in B.C. were coming to an end because they were so popular. FortisBC and BC Hydro managed the funding, with the latter having stopped taking installation applications as of Jun. 15.

In January, BC Hydro noted the desire to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle in Canada was highest in B.C., with one in six cars sold at that time being electric. However, the utility provider said at the time the wait to take delivery on one could last anywhere from a few months to more than a year.

-With files from Mike Lloyd and Kier Junos