A: In short, yes it does. Depending on how the parking stalls are designated, whether it is designated as Limited Common Property or Common Property, a forma resolution usually a ¾ approval of the Owners will be needed to amend or add to the existing Bylaws of the Strata Corporation.
A: There are several reasons why a strata corporation should consider holding a special or annual general meeting to consider the installation of an EV charger. First, if the strata corporation intends to spend money that is not already authorized in the operating budget, the strata corporation will need authority to incur the expense. Such authority may come through a special levy approved by a ¾ vote resolution under Section 108 of the Strata Property Act, or it may come from a ¾ vote to spend from the contingency reserve fund under Section 96 of the Strata Property Act of it may include the approval needed t obtain short term financing for the installation. Second, the installation of the first EV charger likely constitutes a significant change in the use or appearance of common property, requiring a ¾ vote under Section 71 of the Strata Property Act.
A: Strata corporations in British Columbia are not all alike. Parking can be assigned through common property, leased common property, or limited common property. Each strata corporation will have a unique set of circumstances. Resolutions will vary based on who is installing the EV charger (i.e. whether an owner or the strata corporation), whether the strata corporation will need to upgrade capacity in order to allow for charging, and whether the strata corporation will need to amend the bylaws. Unfortunately, there are not simple templates that can manage all of these variables.
A: Yes. Section 110 of the Strata Property Act enables the strata corporation to charge a user fee to an owner, tenant, occupant, or visitor. In 2018, the provincial government amended Regulation 6.9, so that a strata corporation may charge a user fee based on the user’s rate of consumption. User fees can be used to recover electricity costs, as well as installation costs.
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A: Yes, a financing option is sometime a good alternative in lieu of a special levy or the use of the contingency reserve fund. Financing and/or a least to won option has the advantage of the convenience of a much lower payment when compared to a special levy. A financing or lease to own option can be tailored to be paid back between a 5-10-year period which in some cases will be a very attractive option as opposed to a one-time special levy payment which can be high. We suggest Strata Corporations explore all options to make an informed decision as to what is the best fir for the Owners who will eventually approve the financing and/or lease option.
Electric Asset Inc will provide a finance and/or lease option with ROI’s upon request at no charge.
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A: An electric vehicle is basically powered by an electric battery as opposed to being powered by gasoline. (I.C.E. – internal combustion engine) EV’s have rechargeable batteries which power an electric motor for propulsion. EVs can be recharged by plugging the vehicle into a power source.
There are two types of electric vehicles:
A: EV Charging systems are made up of the following components:
EV – Electric Vehicle
EVSE (EV Charger) – Electric Vehicle Service Equipment – The wall or pedestal mounted equipment that connects the vehicle’s charger to the building’s electrical system.
Smart Chargers – Load balancing for multiple chargers on a dedicated circuit.
EMS – Energy Management System – Meters total energy used by building and controls or limits amount allocated to EV Charging in real-time based on building demand.
Intelligent Chargers – Automatically manages & controls each EV charger based on the demand of the building in real time.
A: Level 1: Regular 110 wall receptacle. Electric Vehicles come equipped with a Level 1 charger that can be plugged into any common wall outlet. This will supply between 12 to 16 Amps for charging. At 12 Amps, the average EV charging for 10 hours will gain 90 km of driving range.
Level 2: This level is similar to an electric oven or dryer outlet and normally is fed from a 40 Amp breaker which will support a 32 Amp charger. At 32 Amps, the average EV will gain 90 km of driving range in 1 ½ hours.
Level 3: This category is the “super chargers” that are most often BC Hydro or Tesla clusters that offer 400 Amp or more charging. Due to the high electrical demand of such chargers, they are generally located only in specific locations that have adequate infrastructure capacity to support such electrical loads. Also, the charging units are very expensive and not viable for at-home personal charging or in a multi family building.
A: The basic charging function of all chargers is virtually identical. They deliver electricity to the vehicle. The function varies when it comes to connectivity, communication and output capabilities. If you don’t need usage reporting, tracking, billing or remote access to the charger – a “dumb” or non-connected charger is recommended and will charge a vehicle the same as any networked charger.
A: In general, there are 4 main solutions
Standalone – Installing chargers that supply power to charge an electric vehicle but have no ability to communicate or be controlled remotely.
Networked – A charger that can communicate via a cellular or Wi-Fi network to report usage information and/or remote control via smartphone.
Smart – EV chargers that can be added to a shared circuit (example: 4 Level 2 chargers sharing the capacity of a 100 Amp circuit. They will manage the 100A between them and allocate as needed.
Intelligent – EV chargers with the same features as networked & smart coupled with an energy management system that can regulate charging activity in real-time based on the demand to the building and can also regulate other discretional demands in concert with EV charging (solar, wind, battery, etc.)
A: Most estimates are based on a “per stall” cost which includes all equipment and wiring needed to install Level 2 EV chargers in every stall in the parkade. The cost in BC ranges from $3,500 – $7,000 per parking stall.
A: Yes, there is not one type fit all solution as there are systems better suited for specific applications such as for commercial, retail, hospitality, public facilities, strata properties, fast charging or fleets.
A: Costs can be recovered from rebates available with the shortfall made up from special levies, owner/user pay or markup on energy fees charged.
A: There are various Federal, Provincial, BC Hydro & OEM rebates available for various aspects of EV’s and EV charging and they are subject to change from time to time. Please contact us and we will provide you with the information on current rebates programs.
A: We highly recommend the future be considered when planning any charging solution. Regardless of how many you need to install now, it is beneficial to see the runway and better plan EV adoption in the future without wasting money on a short-term solution that eventually has to be replaced down the road.
A: Over the past decade, we have seen the adoption of electric vehicle charging stations in every imaginable location and user case. From this experience, we have noticed patterns regarding solutions based on best-practices and successful outcomes for various property types.
It is evident that shared EV charging is most appropriate for commercial, retail, restaurants and public facilities. Most of these sites offer free or user-pay EV charging for tenants, employees, customers or the general public.
Often this will be a well known name brand networked system (Flo, ChargePoint) that are generally most appropriate for short-term use by a wide user group that also offer wide public exposure to their charging networks.
A: What often is considered as the logical first step when offering EV charging to owners/residents is to add a few chargers to be shared by EV owners.
When a building has 2-3 electric vehicles, having a few shared charging stations seems to work well. The challenge and change in user-behavior normally coincides with the 3rd or 4th EV owner and charging duration, fair rotation & complaints increase dramatically, and this can often lead to an unfriendly atmosphere among users. The Strata Corporation normally establishes rules for charge/parking times (Often 2-4 hours) with the following issues inevitably arising:
With the recently passed BC Governments Zero Emissions Act, adoption will increase over the next few years and Owners will then demand the convenience of a dedicated EV charger in their private parking stall for greater convenience and increased real estate value.
A: Adding shared EV chargers in the visitor/guest parking area often appears like an inexpensive way to introduce charging to the building without major infrastructure upgrades. Indeed, the upfront cost may appear more appealing but often it can end up costing the Strata Corporation (which includes both EV owners & Non-EV owners) significantly more without offering future-proofing or repurposing of the equipment, wiring or other components installed in the visitor parking area.
Also, there is no viable business case for operating a “for-profit” EV charging system. Therefore, we recommend council considers whether they really want to get into the business of managing a shared charging network for residents.
Our recommended solution for Residential Strata’s with deeded parking stalls is to provide a solution that allows EV owners to have Level 2 EV charger installed in their own private parking stall if and when they want at their cost. They each pay the same fixed price which includes the EV charging unit & installation along with a small “contribution” to the wiring backbone for the parkade.
An example of the cost of a typical multi residential installation is:
Shared Charging – Visitor Parking
Private In-Stall EV Charging – EV Owners Pay
A: There are 3 main elements that make up an EV charging network:
To reflect the stratified reality of common/limited common property & shared-non-metered house power throughout the parkade, the 3 main elements are divided along the same criteria:
RED: STRATA COST
BLUE: OWNER COST
A: Range varies by vehicle and manufacturer. With ever increasing technology and battery performance most electric vehicles have a range over 350 km. Most people commute on an average 50 km a day to and from work so most modern EVs can meet the average commuter’s needs by plugging in only a few times a week.
Consult with your local EV vehicle dealer for up to date information on vehicle range.
Annual Charging Costs
A typical 110v wall outlet on a 10A circuit provides 1.1 kWh of electricity per hour, or 13.2 kWh of electricity over a 12-hour period. BC Hydro’s higher tier 2 rate is currently at $0.1417/kWh.
The cost would be as follows:
13.2 kWh x $0.1417/kWh = $1.87
The average vehicle in BC drives about 18,250 km every year which is about 50 km per day. If you were to drive 18,250 km every year, your EV would probably consume about 18,250 km * (1 kWh / 5 km) = 3,650 kWh of electricity every year. That would cost:
3,650 kWh/year x $0.1417/kWh = $518 per year, or about $43.00 per month.
(Costs will vary on type of vehicle and how far it is driven.)
A: Cost saving from an EV can be substantial each year and over time.
Estimate Annual Cost Savings: $2,362
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