Infrastructure for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment
A quick trip through any of Vancouver’s historic neighbourhoods will show that houses tend to stick around for quite some time, upwards of 40 years in some cases. Given that, it’s important that when we build new homes now we equip it with the components and infrastructure it will probably need at some point in its lifespan. Within reason, of course.
Vehicles may be here to stay for the foreseeable future, but the fuel that powers them is evolving. With oil prices setting new records daily, car manufacturers are developing plug-in hybrids and full-electric vehicles that take advantage of our comparatively low-cost (and clean!) electricity supply. A major stumbling block, however, is this: where and how do we charge these electric cars? For people who live in one- and two-family homes, the “where” is easy to answer: in the garage. The “how”, though, is a bigger issue; no standardized charging systems have been developed yet.
To meet the “where” while leaving the “how” up to the experts, the Green Homes Program has mandated that all new homes be equipped with a cable raceway that runs from the building’s electricity panel directly to the garage, where an empty outlet box will be supplied. This little bit of infrastructure will make the future installation of an electric vehicle charging system a snap.
By-law Language:
12.2.2.10. Cable Raceway
1) Each dwelling unit shall have a cable raceway leading from the electricity circuit panel to an enclosed outlet box in the garage or carport.
2) A raceway not smaller than size 21 shall be provided to accommodate future conductors of a separate branch circuit intended to supply a future receptacle for use with the electric vehicle charging system.
3) An outlet box for the receptacle referred to in Sentence (2) and approved for the purpose shall be provided in a parking space or a parking stall of a storage garage or carport intended for use with the electric vehicle charging system.
4) The raceway described in Sentence (2) shall be installed between the dwelling unit panel board and the outlet box referred to in Sentence (3).
[top]
