Electric vehicles are on the rise — there’s no denying it. In big cities, they are no longer an oddity, and as they become more affordable, more people buy them. Transportation is responsible for roughly 25% of emissions in Canada [9]. So, people see BEVs as a potential solution. Yet, there are still many barriers to overcome.
More Canadians live in condos, apartments and other housing where a BEV owner may not have a garage charger.

More BEVs Means More Condo Challenges
In 2021, global sales of BEVs more than doubled to 4.5 million. That was even with the shortage of semiconductor chips and pandemic-related plant shutdowns [1]. This trend is also evident in Canada. BEVs grew to 7.8% of new vehicle registrations in the second quarter of 2023 [22].

With more BEVs, more charging infrastructure is needed, particularly in residential areas. But setting up chargers is expensive. For instance, installing a single charger in a condo could cost $8,000 to $10,000 [3]. The increased charging from more BEVs also impacts electricity demand. So, costly distribution upgrades in software and hardware are needed to manage electrical loads [4].
The State of BEV Charging Infrastructure
The inadequacy of charging infrastructure at home, work, and publicly accessible locations is consistently recognized as a primary obstacle preventing consumers from transitioning to BEVs. The November 2020 Government of Canada’s poll on Canadian attitudes towards BEVs shows these issues rank as the second most significant barrier. This aligns with recent industry polling. Almost half (47%) of Canadians said a lack of public charging infrastructure was a key reason for not buying a BEV.

As of February 2024, Canada had roughly 4,800 public DC fast charger ports. These chargers allow vehicles to charge in the shortest time available. Roughly 22,000 Level 2 charger ports are available at public charging stations. These typically charge vehicles over several hours. These slow chargers don’t help people without access at their apartments or condos. Natural Resources Canada allocated $180 million to add about 17,000 more chargers [8]. Certainly, a step in the right direction.
The popularity of condos varies across Canada. Vancouver stands out, with over 30% of its population living in condos, the highest percentage in Canada. Following closely is Calgary at 21.8%. Abbotsford-Mission, Kelowna, and Toronto have more than one in five households in condos. According to Statistics Canada, on average about 35% of occupied dwellings were apartments in 2021 [21]. That presents a serious challenge for BEV adoption. With such a large percentage of Canadians living in condos and apartments, EV infrastructure must reflect that. [5]
“For new construction, ideally provinces [should be taking the lead]. But if the province isn’t taking the lead, cities should adopt requirements that all residential parking in new buildings be EV-ready.” ~ Brendan McEwen from Dunsky Energy and Climate Advisors.
The experts agree. There should be support for the introduction of additional federal and provincial incentive programs. These programs would play a crucial role in retrofitting most parking spaces for EV charging.
According to McEwen, the effectiveness of BC Hydro’s EV-ready rebate program for apartment and condo buildings is worth noting. Under this program, participants get up to $3,000 to develop an EV-ready plan. An additional $600 covers the installation costs of electrical infrastructure to implement the plan.
Another challenge is the limited electrical capacity. Condos and apartment buildings should ideally have high-capacity EV chargers. However, often, there are hardware limitations in electric panels limited to a specific amp capacity per condo. Obtaining permits can also be a challenge.[6].
In Summary
Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is rapidly increasing globally and across Canada. As transportation accounts for so much of Canada’s emissions, EVs appear to be a promising solution. Yet, the rise in EV ownership has its own challenges, especially for condos lacking access to dedicated charging infrastructure. High installation costs and limited electrical capacity are barriers. Government incentives, like BC Hydro’s rebate program, are critical for addressing these challenges and promoting the installation of EV-ready infrastructure in multi-unit residential buildings.
References
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/26/cars/electric-car-sales/index.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/electric-vehicle-charging-private-1.6867265
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40518-022-00201-2
https://electricautonomy.ca/2022/12/01/ev-charging-condos-murbs-stratas-canada/
https://blog.wallbox.com/enabling-electric-vehicle-charging-in-condominiums/
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-ev-transition-explained-2658463709
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/electric-vehicle-charging-stations-1.6293915
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-electric-cars-2035-1.6085540
https://electricautonomy.ca/2022/12/01/ev-charging-condos-murbs-stratas-canada/
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/10/20/news/ontario-charging-ahead-91m-plan-ev-plug-ins
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-ev-charging-strategy-reaches-fork-road-2023-11-22/
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/ref/98-500/001/98-500-x2021001-eng.cfm
Contributors
Researchers
Denis Koshelev
Mauro Aiello, Ph.D.
Authors
Denis Koshelev
Editor
Melody S. Wright
Lark Scientific Financial Support
Axel Doerwald
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