Significant efforts have been (and are currently being) undertaken by the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation (WE EDC) to shift the local economy from being Canada’s Automotive Capital to that of Canada’s Automobility Capital. Those efforts include ongoing discussions with a global consortium to establish an e-vehicle ramp-up factory, supporting smart city technologies, discussions with CUTRIC regarding a Feasibility Study, and Project Arrow. WE EDC has been kind enough to provide a summary of their efforts for inclusion in this report. Their report can be found in APPENDIX A.
The City of Windsor is well positioned to benefit from consumers moving towards electric vehicles. Increased demand for electric vehicles could potentially lead to more investment locally, thus benefiting our region.
On January 20, 2020, Mayor Dilkens asked the following question:
CQ 1-2020
“Asks Administration to prepare a report on policy and/or bylaw changes that require new construction projects in the City of Windsor to prepare for electric infrastructure including, at a minimum, the rough-in necessary to facilitate future transition to electric vehicles. In addition, report back on best practices or policies that would benefit existing buildings to convert as needed.”
This report is provided in response to CQ 1-2020.
Discussion:
The response to CQ 1-2020 will be divided into four sections and will address policy and by-law changes regarding electric charging infrastructure in new construction; provide examples of zoning language used by other municipalities to require EV infrastructure; identify some best practices used to encourage the transition to electric vehicles; and address the importance of aligned Federal and Provincial programs.
1. Policy / By-law Changes
Increasing access to charging infrastructure is essential for increasing EV adoption. Most EV owners prefer to charge at home where charging is reliable, cheaper and convenient.
On January 1, 2018 changes to the Ontario Municipal Building Code (“OBC”) regarding electrical vehicle supply equipment (“EVSE”) came into effect. These changes were made in response to the fact that the number of EVs on the roads of the province were on the rise. The changes to the OBC required “no less than 20% of parking spaces needed to be supplied with electric vehicle supply equipment”. This amendment applied to all buildings excluding apartments and Multi-Use Residential Buildings (MURBs). The EV charger could be Level 1 or Level 2 based on the building needs.
On May 2, 2019 the technical requirements related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure in houses and non-residential large buildings, such as workplaces was removed from the OBC. Therefore, the City cannot require new building construction to include EVSE as it is not currently a requirement of the OBC. However, the City can encourage developers to voluntary include EVSE their developments as it is cheaper to install EVSE during construction as compared to retrofitting.