Fredericton mulls requiring developers to include EV charging ports in new multi-unit buildings

The City of Fredericton says it wants to work with the province on new requirements for multi-unit apartment buildings aimed at accommodating the expected rise in the use of electric vehicles.

Councillors this week adopted a road map for how the city will go about facilitating the uptake of electric vehicles, which includes requiring that developers include charging ports in all new multi-residential buildings.

The plan, which also includes incentives to see them installed in existing buildings, doesn't have an implementation timeline, but is being described as a critical step to seeing the wider adoption of electric vehicles.

"I think that it's going to be very important for people to be able to charge at home," said Tom McLean, an EV owner from New Maryland and a member of a New Brunswick group focused on encouraging their uptake.

"It's so convenient, inexpensive and allows people to integrate having an electric vehicle into their life very easily and take advantage of all the things that the electric vehicle offers."

New Brunswick has set a goal of having electric cars and trucks make up six per cent of new light-vehicle purchases in the province by 2025, and 50 per cent by 2030, as part of its plan to fight climate change.

Ottawa also has a goal of seeing 100 per cent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035.

Aside from their upfront costs, electric vehicles have generally been considered a low-cost, convenient alternative to gasoline-powered cars.

But the convenience factor has largely been enjoyed by homeowners, who can install the needed infrastructure to charge their vehicle while it's parked at home.

Apartment buildings make up about 36 per cent of dwellings in Fredericton. However, residents of those buildings can only charge an EV at home if their landlord or building manager is willing to invest the money needed to install the infrastructure.

"We do recognize that there's an additional cost to developers to put in that wiring," said Jillian Hudgins, environmental strategist with the City of Fredericton.

"But it's much cheaper to do that at time of build when you already have your walls open and you're doing construction, than to go in and to retrofit that building later."

Whereas the cost to install the wiring and panels at the time of build can cost about $1,000 per parking spot, retrofitting an existing building can cost up to 10 times that amount, she said.

Hudgins said the city is currently looking at incentives such as lowering minimum requirements for apartment buildings for developers who install charging infrastructure.