Kelowna moves to make new homes ‘EV ready’

City hall is laying the groundwork for every new home in Kelowna to be electric vehicle (EV) ready.

Soon, new residential builds in the city will be required to have one energized EV outlet per dwelling. The updated rules will be slid into a future zoning bylaw update.

The idea was supported by lawmakers this week to meet the growing uptake of EVs and “future proof” homes.

“Availability of home charging is critical to enabling a transition to electric vehicles,” community energy specialist Todd Brunner said. “EV drivers want predictable charging experiences.”

In a report, Brunner outlined how EV adoption is rapidly increasing in the province. In 2021, 12.3 per cent of new vehicle sales were zero emission in British Columbia. In Kelowna, EV ownership has tripled between 2018 and 2020. This is expected to rapidly grow in the coming years, with the province outlining plans for 100 per cent of new auto sales to be zero emission by 2035.

To be ‘EV ready,’ a parking space must have an energized outlet capable of charging an EV once charging equipment is installed in the future. It does not require the installation of a charger.

“The main point of EV readiness is to allow current or future EV owners to install a charger as needed,” Brunner said.

Having the infrastructure installed while the property is being built is far more cost effective. While it adds an upfront cost, studies have found retrofitting is costly and complicated.

A study commissioned by the City of Kamloops examined a proposed 140-unit midrise building. It found the cost of installation at the time of construction was between $930 to $1,500 per stall. Retrofitting the same building would come with a price tag closer to $3,500 per stall.

The cost for a single-family home is substantially less, pegged at between $200 to $500 at the time of construction, compared to $500 to $1,200 to retrofit.

Beyond higher costs, Brunner highlighted legal and administrative barriers that can arise when attempting to retrofit buildings.

Simply swapping parking stalls between EV and non-EV owners can be legally challenging at some condos, or even impossible, he said.

Since 2017, 15 local governments in B.C. have adopted some form of ‘EV ready’ policy, including much of Greater Vancouver, Nelson, and Victoria. He said Kamloops is anticipated to adopt a similar policy later this year.

Stakeholders have been engaged on the topic, including FortisBC, the public and developers.

Coun. Luke Stack welcomed the move but warned it will increase the cost of development.

“That’s one of the realities I’m always struggling with. You want to do something right one way, which is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but it has a negative impact on the cost of housing,” he said, noting the need to balance both.

He said as the policy is being rolled out, staff must stress the significant cost savings that come with using an electric vehicle over gasoline.

“That has to be part of the conversation … If you include your vehicle and housing costs together, this actually may be a saving.”

With the nod of approval from council, staff will begin drafting technical details to accompany the zoning bylaw update. They’ll also examine broader EV charging infrastructure requirements for new institutional, commercial, industrial, and service stations.

The city is working to lower its greenhouse gas emissions to 80 per cent below 2007 levels by 2050.