The City of Delta wants to remove the barriers to electric vehicle (EV) ownership, and plans to do so in a number of ways with a new EV charging strategy.
City council last week endorsed a staff recommendation to create an EV charging strategy, in part to help Delta reach its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
To do so, the city will attempt to increase access to charging infrastructure and provide public education on EVs and charging.
The City already has a bylaw that requires a certain percentage of parking stalls in new residential buildings to support EV charging.
The new strategy aims to add to that by requiring 100% of parking stalls in new multi-family developments to provide EV charging at Level 2 or higher. This is similar to Saanich, which just last week implemented the same measures.
It will also call for at least one electric outlet in residential homes, and 100% of staff parking stalls at new commercial and industrial buildings to provide Level 2 or higher charging.
Before it does so, the City will investigate to ensure the strategy is economically feasible by exploring opportunities for grants and rebates to help offset the costs.
Delta currently has three public EV charging stations – one at the Alaksen National Wildlife Refuge, another at the Delta Hospital, and a third at the Ladner Leisure Center.
This is a welcomed change in perspective towards EVs and charging infrastructure after Parksville, a small community on Vancouver Island, recently voted against applying for a grant to help install their first DC fast charger.
h/t [Delta Optimist]
