Clean Energy Canada | B.C. housing standards need to keep pace with EV uptake, warns new roadmap
January 29, 2026

VANCOUVER — As major development plans move ahead across British Columbia, the absence of a province-wide EV-ready building standard risks locking in higher future costs as more drivers switch to electric vehicles, warns a new roadmap released today by Clean Energy Canada and the Community Energy Association.

The report, Making All New B.C. Homes EV-Ready, draws on a year of research and engagement with B.C. local governments, utilities, developers, and EV charging experts, and sets out a stakeholder-informed pathway for implementing a province-wide EV-ready standard for new residential construction. 

Its release comes as B.C. has seen sustained EV adoption over the past decade, supported by low electricity prices that enable EV drivers to save thousands of dollars annually compared to equivalent gas vehicles. EVs accounted for 22.5% of new vehicle sales in the province in 2024 and 18.5% in Q3 2025, even after both federal and provincial rebates were paused.

As the report argues, homes built today will be occupied well into a future with higher EV ownership. Failing to plan for charging at the construction stage increases the risk of costly and disruptive retrofits later, particularly in apartment and condo buildings, where upgrades can cost three to four times more than installing EV-ready infrastructure from the start.

With 33 local governments representing 79% of B.C.’s population already having some form of EV-readiness requirements in place, the lack of a province-wide standard leaves cross-jurisdictional developers navigating a patchwork of local rules, adding both time and cost to projects.

But making new-builds EV-ready goes beyond reducing complexity for builders—it’s also critical for expanding equitable access to money-saving clean technologies in B.C., where interest in EVs is high but access to at-home charging remains a significant barrier.

This roadmap therefore urges the province to build on momentum from local governments by harmonizing EV-readiness requirements, helping future-proof new buildings and ensure that all British Columbians can access affordable, reliable charging—regardless of housing type.

The full roadmap is available here.