Electrifying the lot

Executive Summary

There are many benefits to EV ownership, but perhaps the greatest is the ability to skip the gas pump. No more eye-watering fuel prices and pesky oil changes. No more pumping gas in the freezing cold.

Except not everyone has the same kind of access to this cost-saving convenience. EV owners with charging where they usually park their car tend to be those living in detached family homes. In fact, one Canadian survey found that 81% of battery electric car drivers reside in detached houses, while only 19% live in apartments.

For the 34% of households in Canada that live in apartments (defined as buildings with a common entrance but multiple separate units), this is a problem. And while public charging is a necessary and helpful solution, ensuring wider EV adoption means making plugging in as convenient as possible, for as many as possible. Charging in multiunit buildings offers a host of benefits for drivers, utilities, electricity systems operators, and city planners alike. Apartment buildings are found in the majority of communities in Canada, although they are particularly prevalent in cities. In Toronto, they make up 40% of all households, and in Vancouver, 52%.

What’s more, apartment dwelling is particularly prevalent among younger Canadians. Three out of five (60%) of people aged 20 to 44 live in apartment buildings in Metro Vancouver (which extends from Langley to Lions Bay) compared to half (49%) of those over 44. And yet, younger people are generally more interested in EVs: 77% of those aged 18 to 44 are inclined to go electric, according to a recent Clean Energy Canada survey of Metro Vancouver residents, compared to around 62% for those aged 45 or older. In short, those with the most appetite for EVs are those most likely to face the barrier of not having charging access at home.

Nonetheless, there are ways to overcome this issue by installing EV charging in apartment building lots. But costs, electrical infrastructure, and regulations can all pose barriers. Thankfully, these can be overcome with good policies.

Crucially, the cheapest, easiest EV charging retrofit is the one that doesn’t need to happen in the first place. Installing EV charging in new builds is three to four times cheaper than upgrading an existing building. There are currently no federal regulations requiring EV readiness in new construction despite a new housing plan promising nearly 4 million new homes over the next decade.

Provincially, the picture isn’t much better. Quebec is currently the only province with EV readiness requirements for new homes in its building code and is in the process of extending the requirements to all apartment buildings before the end of 2025. But a number of provinces and territories, from B.C. to Quebec to the Yukon, do offer some help to retrofit older buildings to varying degrees.

Amid an inconsistent Canadian landscape, many municipalities have been leading the charge, requiring EV readiness or charger installations in new construction while also helping residents upgrade their existing buildings.

It’s probably not surprising that the two urban centres with the most EV-ready municipal bylaws are the two with the highest EV adoption. In Vancouver and Montreal, EVs made up 27% and 36% of total car sales in 2024 respectively, compared to 17% nationally.

But a piecemeal approach led by municipalities isn’t the best option for anyone—residents, charging station providers, developers, or our climate. And varied and sometimes contradictory regulations add complexity and bureaucratic red tape, delaying installations. Thankfully, there are a number of actions that can and should be taken at other levels of government.

For starters, provinces must ensure 100% EV readiness in new builds via changes to building or electrical codes. This can be coupled with funding to retrofit existing buildings and legislation that makes it easier for residents to work with condo boards or stratas to install their own charger if they want one. And all of these measures should be bundled into province-wide, comprehensive charging strategies. Municipalities can also help by ensuring 100% EV readiness in new builds via bylaws or by funding retrofits.

After all, unless we knock down these barriers, those most inclined to buy EVs—young people and city dwellers, a group that could certainly use a financial break—will struggle to reap the savings and lifestyle benefits of going electric.