https://theconversation.com/how-growing-cities-can-support-at-home-electric-vehicle-charging-109780
[links and images in online article]
How growing cities can support at-home electric vehicle charging
January 24, 2019 5.18pm EST
Jerome Mayaud
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia
Rapid urban population growth is driving many cities around the world to
reduce their carbon footprints. In Canada, two major policy agendas are
designed to achieve this: boosting urban density and promoting
low-carbon transportation such as electric vehicles (EVs).
Despite their overlap, these goals are often pursued separately through
disjointed planning strategies. In time, ad-hoc policies could be
counterproductive and stall the shift to EVs, by making ownership
expensive, inefficient and complicated.
Most Canadians live in cities, where the deployment of EVs has two main
advantages.
First, EVs can drastically reduce local emissions as long as their
electricity comes from sustainable sources. Second, their driving ranges
are suited to short urban trips. For example, 95 per cent of driving
trips in Vancouver are less than 30 kilometres, well within the range of
an EV.
However, as cities swap single-family homes for multi-unit dwellings to
increase population density, reduce housing prices and lower carbon
emissions, the installation of EV charging stations in existing
multi-unit dwellings is lagging behind. Our research found ways to
change that.
EV sales on the rise in British Columbia
British Columbia is an attractive location for EVs because roughly 90
per cent of the province’s electricity comes from large renewable
hydropower. Widespread EV usage could cut B.C.‘s greenhouse gas
emissions by up to 98 per cent. Residential electricity rates in B.C.
are now low enough that charging a vehicle at home is less expensive
than fuelling a conventional gasoline vehicle.
Together with B.C.’s EV subsidies, these factors more than doubled
provincial EV sales between 2013 and 2017. However, EVs still make up
only two per cent of all vehicles on B.C.’s roads. What’s more, B.C.’s
current regulations mean that EVs will likely only have a 10 per cent
market share by 2040, far below the Canadian government’s goal of 30 per
cent by 2030. This suggests more stringent policies are needed.
Consumers are switching to EVs as the number of models on the market
grows and battery prices decrease, but drivers want to be sure they will
be able to charge their vehicles quickly, easily and cheaply.
Electrified transportation is still beset by the classic chicken-and-egg
problem: fuel providers will not invest in fuelling infrastructure until
enough EVs are in circulation, and people will avoid buying an EV until
sufficient charging points exist.
Few incentives to retrofit
While a dense network of public charging points will be important for
reducing range anxiety among users, almost 90 per cent of charging takes
place at home. Yet the installation of home charging stations is
complicated in buildings with multiple dwelling units, because of
competing interests in the common spaces shared by residents. So-called
“Multi-Unit Residential Buildings” now account for over a quarter of all
households in B.C. and are forecast to make up 70 per cent of all new
residential constructions in the province by 2020.
As of 2019, all new multi-family residential developments built in
Vancouver must include EV charging infrastructure. But the city has no
policies to encourage building owners to retrofit existing buildings
with charging points.
Our research found financial and technical issues were the most
significant barriers to installing charging points in multi-unit
residential buildings, mostly due to the imposing electrical loads EV
charging stations place on the buildings’ existing power systems. Other
barriers include the lack of support from non-EV drivers, unclear
regulation concerning the rights and obligations of drivers and
landlords, and overly conservative regulatory requirements for buildings.
Breaking down barriers
Municipal governments throughout B.C. could break down these barriers
with a few key policy changes.
They could start by introducing financial policies that create
incentives for both EV owners and building owners. So-called
“demand-focused” policies include programs that provide financial aid to
building owners to develop retrofit plans, and to mandate them to
retrofit a minimum number of charging stations. EV ownership could be
incentivized through rebates that cover the cost of a new vehicle: B.C.
already offers rebates of up to $5,000, but this is much lower than in
Québec.
Municipal governments should also clarify the rights and obligations of
builders, building owners, residents and others when it comes to
charging infrastructure. For instance, who should pay for the
installation and running costs of charging points in condos? What sort
of upgrades are needed to deal with the extra electrical loads from EV
charging?
Non-governmental associations such as the Condominium Home Owners
Association of B.C. and the Building Owners and Managers Association of
B.C. offer some guidance, but confusion remains.
Finally, governments can help raise public awareness and acceptance of
EVs by introducing programs to educate people who have less trust in,
and understanding of, EV technology.
Many municipalities around the world could adopt these suggestions to
encourage the installation of at-home EV charging points, while also
boosting urban density.
Cities generate 80 per cent of global GDP and are responsible for 70 per
cent of carbon dioxide emissions, so they are critical arenas for
addressing the sources and effects of climate change.
As vehicle electrification gains ground in Canada and elsewhere, we will
need policies that do a better job of recognizing the obstacles and
opportunities around residential charging. The high densification and
mobility challenges experienced in B.C.‘s urban areas illustrates the
challenges faced by many modern cities.
This piece was written in conjunction with Diana Lopez-Behar, Martino
Tran, Thomas Froese, Omar Herrera and Walter Merida (University of
British Columbia).