Zero-Emission Vehicle Charging in MURB and Garage-Orphans
To support the federal targets for zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) reaching 10% of new light-duty vehicle sales by 2025, 30% by 2030, and 100% by 2040, it is paramount that all Canadians have access to charging infrastructure, the lack of which remains one of the barriers to mass adoption of ZEVs.
However, it is estimated that at least one-third of Canadians reside in multi-unit residential buildings or MURBS (e.g. condominium and apartment buildings) or dwellings without access to a driveway or garage. While these residents are potential mainstream adopters of ZEVs, they face a number of unique charging-related barriers that must be effectively addressed to enable them to buy and charge an electric vehicle at home.
This study undertaken by Pollution Probe and The Delphi Group, identified key barriers to ZEV charging in MURBs and for garage orphans and points to solutions, best-practices and a suite of practical actions that stakeholders can take. Table 1 provides a high-level summary of the barriers, the type of dwelling they apply to, and potential solutions.
The full report can be accessed here
Table 1. Summary of Barriers and Solutions
| Barrier | Brief Description | Existing MURB | New MURB | Garageorphan | Solutions |
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| Grid Preparedness & Charging Infrastructure Barriers | |||||
| Electrical Capacity | Barriers related to the ability of a building’s electrical system to accommodate the additional load from EV charging and the capacity of the electrical distribution system at the neighbourhood-level to accommodate EV charging. |
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| Metering | Barriers associated with how charging stations are owned, managed and metered in a building and challenges related to customer billing and the distribution of electricity costs. |
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| Lack of Access to Charging Infrastructure | Barriers faced by garage orphans who do not have access to charging at home because they do not have a garage or dedicated parking space with an electrical outlet. |
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| Building Design & Physical Infrastructure Barriers | |||||
| Parking Supply | Barriers related to a limited number of parking spaces in a building, a lack of regular access to a parking space and restrictions on re-assignment of parking spaces. |
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| Design | Barriers related to the physical design of a building, such as space constraints in parking lot design and within electrical rooms. Barriers related to the design of EVSE installation. |
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| Connectivity | Barriers related to poor cellular coverage in underground parking garages. |
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| Education & Awareness Barriers | |||||
| Consumer Awareness | Barriers related to minimal consumer understanding and experience with EVs and a lack of knowledge and resources to properly assess how to implement EV charging. |
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| Condo-Strata Decision Making/MURB Owner Awareness | Barriers related to a lack of awareness and the resources required by MURB owners or property managers to effectively evaluate and deploy EV charging infrastructure. |
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| Regulatory & Policy: Physical Barriers | |||||
| Physical Barriers | Regulatory barriers related to physical infrastructure upgrades and the costs associated with installing EVSE. |
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| Regulatory & Policy: Legal & Governance Barriers | |||||
| Condo & Strata Legislation | Regulatory barriers related to the approval process for EVSE installation by a condo board or strata corporation. |
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| Electricity-related Legislative & Regulatory | Regulatory barriers related to cost recovery and the apportionment of electrical costs associated with the use of electricity to charge an EV in a MURB. |
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| Measurement Rules | Regulatory barriers related to metering requirements for EV charging. |
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| Cost Barriers | |||||
| Installation Costs | Barriers related to the costs associated with EVSE installation in a MURB or at a residential curbside. |
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| Operation & Maintenance Costs | Barriers related to the cost of operating and maintaining EVSE. |
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| Cost Sharing | Barriers related to the inability of MURB owners and property managers to charge for electricity separately from the utility or restrictions on the resale of electricity. |
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| Other Barriers | |||||
| Rental-specific barriers | Barriers related to the lack of incentives for renters and landlords to invest in infrastructure upgrades and EVSE installation, as well as challenges associated with liability. |
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