I find it interesting that, as far as I know, there isn’t one new building in Victoria that is able to provide electric-vehicle charging stations for every person who might own an electric car in the near future.
Even though electric-vehicle ownership is growing exceptionally fast, the buildings are being built without the capacity to handle the electrical load. This will mean that more power would have to be brought in from the street and a new electrical panel installed, plus all the wiring to each parking spot and meters for the same.
It is like building a building and saying: “If you get in early, then we can give you power for a stove in your kitchen, but we don’t have enough power coming into the building to give everyone power for their stove.”
When you own an electric vehicle, plugging in overnight is as important as having a stove.
Some buildings are saying: “Well, we are installing a couple of charging stations for those with electric cars in the parking lot.” But to an EV owner, that is next to useless. Who wants to have to check every half hour to see if the charger is available? One needs to plug in and retire for the evening.
Some people think that no one will own their own cars in the future. But the thinking on that has changed, as technology for electric cars has become cheaper than a regular gas car. (Cheaper because it has several hundred fewer moving parts and very little maintenance.)
Mileage is also cheap: $1.75 to drive all the way out to Sooke and back to Victoria, which is cheaper and faster than the bus.
People who are buying these places have no idea that their next car will likely be an electric, and they are not aware that they could very well be stuck with an expensive upgrade to their buildings as strata councils vote to spend the money to add charging stations. Builders, in the meantime, just keep building them as is, because they know the issue is not on people’s radar and it will not be them who is stuck paying for the upgrades.
It’s something to think about when you buy into a new building or even an old one, for that matter. No one seems to grasp the idea because, unless you are an EV owner, it’s hard to understand the importance of plugging in.
Contrary to some people’s understanding, those who drive an electric vehicle don’t get their biggest charge from stations around town.
They plug in at home. People generally don’t plug in at the mall, other than to top up and for general convenience.
(If I’m at the mall and there is a charger, I top up. Why not? It’s free. But I get only about 10 kilometres of driving after an hour plugged in at the mall.)
It takes several hours to charge your car, and so it makes sense to do it overnight, which gives you a full day’s range.
Big changes are coming. Apparently, some dealerships are having trouble keeping electric vehicles in stock. The shift is on. And new condos and other buildings have nowhere to plug in for everyone.
Deryk Houston lives in Victoria.
