EV Ready Plan:
An EV Ready Plan is a thorough assessment of a building’s electrical capacity and a detailed proposal prepared by a certified electrical engineer.
The plan incorporates a 12-month BC Hydro kilowatt-hour usage history, a building load calculation based on the Canadian Electrical Code, or a 12-month power logger data report. This information allows us to accurately evaluate your building’s current electricity usage and determine its capacity for EV charging.
The plan includes a proposal and cost estimate for necessary electrical infrastructure upgrades and EV charger installations. This can be used to apply for a BC Hydro construction rebate of up to $120,000.
Upon completing the plan, we assist you in applying for the EV Ready Plan incentive online, which provides up to $3,000, or 75% of the cost of creating the EV Ready Plan.
The plan must include:
- Electrical capacity assessment
- Minimum charging performance
- Charging options for parking spaces
- Cost estimation
- Ev Energy Management System (EVEMS), electric vehicle supply equipment(EVES) and appropriate services
EV Infrastructure Design:
EV infrastructure electrical design refers to the process of planning and engineering the electrical systems required to support the installation and operation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. It involves designing the necessary infrastructure to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable power delivery to EV chargers.
The design and report must be prepared, signed, and stamped by a Certified Electrical Engineer (P.Eng.).
Key components of EV infrastructure electrical design include:
- Power Capacity Assessment: Evaluating the buildings or site’s existing electrical capacity to determine if it can handle the additional load from EV chargers.
- Load Calculation: Calculating the electrical demand of the charging equipment per codes such as the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC).
- Electrical Panel and Distribution Design: Designing the layout and upgrades of electrical panels, transformers, and distribution boards to support EV charging.
- Circuit Design: Designing circuits for EV chargers, including appropriate conductor sizing, breaker selection, and protective devices.
- Energy Management Systems (EMS): Integrating systems to manage energy usage efficiently, such as load-sharing or demand-response technologies, especially in sites with multiple chargers.
- Compliance with Codes and Standards: Ensuring the design meets local, national, and international electrical and safety standards.
- Future Expansion Planning: Designing infrastructure that can accommodate future increases in EV charging demand, such as provisions for additional chargers or upgraded power capacity.
- Permitting and Documentation: Preparing the necessary documentation for permits, including single-line diagrams, site layouts, and load calculations.
- Safety Measures: Incorporating features like surge protection, grounding, and proper labeling for safe operation and maintenance.
The goal of EV infrastructure electrical design is to provide a reliable and scalable foundation for EV charging while optimizing costs and minimizing disruptions to existing electrical systems.
Rebate and Incentive:
Applicants must secure pre-approval and meet specific requirements to qualify for the electrical infrastructure rebate. Intel Power Electric provides support throughout the entire process, including:
- Preparing an approved EV Ready Plan.
- Ensuring at least one (1) EV-ready parking space per residential unit
- Electrical permits
- Ensuring the infrastructure meets applicable charging performance requirements.
BC Hydro offers free online personalized estimates to help you calculate the projected annual gas savings of switching to an electric vehicle (EV). Additionally, BC Hydro, Fortis BC, and Go Electic provide provincial rebates for the purchase and installation of EV chargers and supporting infrastructure.
- https://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2022/ev-fuel-costs-tool.html
- https://electricvehicles.bchydro.com/incentives/charger-rebates
- https://goelectricbc.gov.bc.ca/
- https://www.fortisbc.com/rebates/home/ev-charging-stations-for-homes
Another advantage of electric vehicles is the ongoing federal rebates available for vehicles classified as zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The Government of Canada defines a ZEV as a vehicle capable of producing zero tailpipe emissions. Visit the government website for the latest information on rebates for ZEV purchases and leases.
Electrical Planning Report:
The CleanBC “Roadmap to 2030” ( https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/climate-change/action/cleanbc/cleanbc_roadmap_2030.pdf) details British Columbia’s approach to intensify climate action to reach its 2030 greenhouse gas target and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This strategy involves shifting away from fossil fuels; after 2030, all newly sold and installed space heaters and water heating equipment in BC will be required to meet an efficiency of 100%. Additionally, the roadmap incorporates initiatives to hasten the adoption of electric vehicles.
According to the British Columbia Government, most strata corporations with five or more strata lots, are required to obtain an electrical planning report by December 31, 2026.
Based on the Strata Property Act part 5.2,(https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/12_43_2000#part5.2. ) the purpose of the Electrical Plan Report is to provide an overview of the existing electrical infrastructure, find the limitations of the existing electrical systems, and provide recommendations for improvements to the strata building. These reports serve as the initial step for the strata, aiding in planning alterations or additional loads like heating, cooling, and EV charging. Furthermore.
Additional information can be found on the Vancouver Island Strata Owners Association (VISOA) website. (https://visoa.bc.ca/resources/about-electrical-planning-reports/).
The Electrical Planning Report must include:
- The current capacity of the strata corporation’s electrical system
- A list of existing demands on the electrical system, including, without limitation, demands from
- EV charging infrastructure, if any, and
- heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting systems
- The current peak demand on and spare capacity of the electrical system
- An estimate of the electrical capacity needed for any other anticipated future demands on the electrical system, including the electrical capacity needed to power
- Heating, cooling, ventilation, and other systems that the strata corporation anticipates may be modified or installed in the future, and
- EV charging infrastructure that the strata corporation anticipates may be installed in the future
- Steps the strata corporation could take to effectively reduce the demand on the electrical system’s capacity
- Upgrades or modifications that the strata corporation could reasonably implement to enhance the capacity of the electrical system
- An estimate of the additional electrical capacity that could be made available if the strata corporation implements the recommended steps outlined above.
