With the rise in the zero-emission vehicle goals, many countries have embraced electric vehicles that have zero contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles (EVs) have become a great alternative to petrol and diesel cars and it’s not hard to see why. With charging stations installed across different parts of the country, getting your EV ready for the road has become a breeze.
However, most aspiring vehicle owners are still reluctant to make a transition to these eco-friendly and cost-efficient vehicles, as their homes are not yet EV-ready. Having a charging station at your home and smart EV charging software is a must if you use your vehicle for your daily commute.
EV-Ready: What Does It Mean?
An electrical vehicle can be charged at home, given that you have a parking facility available within your residential space. If you have a dedicated parking lot, there’s no reason why you should struggle to power your EV. You can use your home’s electricity to charge an electric vehicle through a cable overnight. That’s incredibly convenient and cost-effective.
A few common challenges people face when charging their EVs is the lack of a garage or a space where they can park their vehicle. For instance, if you are a tenant and live in an apartment, you might not have access to a parking lot. Getting your residential or commercial building EV-ready means making it compatible with an EV charging system so that if you were to install a charging station in the future, your parking space will allow the vehicles to be charged easily.
What is an EV-Ready Plan?
As the number of EV owners and charging stations is growing, landowners and other professionals have to come up with an EV-ready plan, according to which each residential unit gets a minimum of one charging facility. No matter whether you own an EV or not, or whether you plan on driving this vehicle in the future or not, you will be provided with a charging spot where you can power your electric vehicle.
What Does It Include?
The plan is developed by a licensed electrician, preferably a certified BC Hydro Powersmart contractor. The plan assesses electrical capacity and charging performance followed by budgeting. It includes everything that’s needed to make your parking space EV-ready.
How Much Does an EV-Ready Plan Cost?
EV-ready plans can cost anywhere between $4000 and $5000, depending on your location and its compatibility with the EV charging systems. However, BC Hydro has proposed a rebate, which can save you up to 70% of the cost of creating an EV-ready plan. A professional electrical or EV charging solution provider will help you create a comprehensive EV-ready plan for your residential or commercial building.
Creating an EV-Ready Plan For Your Residential Building
The strata council gets the building owner’s approval for the EV-ready plan before approving the EV infrastructure installation. The per stall installation cost of the EV infrastructure is approx $2500, of which approx $600 will be covered by the BC Hydro.
The whole purpose of implementing this infrastructure is to make the spot EV chargeable, ensuring that all vehicles can be plugged into the charger and get ready for driving. The residential building owner has to bear the expense of this installation.
Conclusion
The process of getting your residential building EV-ready might seem complicated and expensive, but with the significant rebate and multiple EV charging network software systems, it’s not that difficult. You can work with a reputable EV charging solution company to simplify the entire process, i.e. from developing an EV-ready plan to installation of the charging systems.
