How to Convince a Condo Board, Landlord, or HOA to Install EV Charging

Wondering how to get your condo board, landlord, or home owners’ association on board with electric vehicle charging? In this post we break down where to start, how we can help, and what you’ll need to build a winning proposal.

A compelling pitch starts with a clear understanding of the many benefits that EV charging brings to a multi-unit residential building and its residents. These include:

• Meeting residents’ current and future charging needs
• Improving property resale value
• Attracting and retaining tenants
• Generating revenue from charging fees
• Renting or selling parking spots with EV charger access
• Meeting ESG standards and sustainability goals
• Futureproofing buildings against new codes and bylaws

Learn as much as you can about the EV charging needs of your building’s residents. A survey is a simple but effective way to gather information and can be followed by a residents’ meeting to discuss the responses. Survey questions might include:

• Do you currently own an electric vehicle?
• If you own an EV, when and where do you currently charge?
• What type of charger do you currently use the most?
• If you do not own an EV, do you anticipate buying or leasing one in the future?
• Would having access to a charger at home encourage you to purchase an EV?
• On average, approximately how many kilometres or miles do you drive per day?
• If the building were to install chargers, where are your preferred locations?
• Would you be favour of making shared chargers available for public use, all the time or in a more limited way, to earn charging revenue?
• Do you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions about installing EV chargers on the property?

A resident working group can play an important role in setting priorities, planning the project, and developing charging policies.

Look for residents who have relevant skills and experience and/or who are already active members of the building’s condo board, strata council, or a tenants’ committee.

Together, you can work through important considerations, such as how to cover capital costs, how residents will pay for charger usage, and whether the chargers will be installed in stages or all at once.

We recommend submitting your proposal in writing, being as specific as possible about how EV chargers will be integrated into the property. Details may include:

• The number and type of charging stations
• Possible locations for charging stations
• Recommended hardware and software
• Options for EV charging station ownership

You’ll also want to provide cost estimates and documentation to support your proposal:

• Cost estimates for installation
• Information about government incentives that can reduce costs
• A budget that covers maintenance and operating costs and any revenues earned
• If your proposal budget permits, a feasibility assessment by a qualified electrician

At Hypercharge, we work closely highly experienced electrical contractors to perform site assessments that thoroughly evaluate the property’s existing electrical infrastructure and what kind of upgrades may be needed to accommodate EV chargers.

We’ll examine the property’s current power capacity, the ideal locations for accessing the power supply, and how to make best use of the available space for EV chargers to meet residents’ needs.

A Hypercharge EV Ready Plan delivers the critical information and support documents you’ll need for your proposal, including an electrical planning report (EPR), recommendations for EV charging stations, networking equipment, and software, design guidance, and cost estimates that maximize savings opportunities.

We can also help you identify government incentives that can take a bite out of installation costs.