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Editorial: New condos need EV charging

Coquitlam is smart to investigate the benefit of making Electric Vehicle charging outlets mandatory
EVs
Electric cars are becoming more common all over the world.

How far should a city go in making developers install electric vehicle charging outlets in new condo projects?

Those who favour a market approach prefer to let builders add them on a voluntary basis to meet customer demand while others say the city should get involved and make them a requirement so new buildings coming down the pipe are well equipped.

One thing is for sure, even though Level 1 or 120 volt is adequate for charging a car, it’s not the gold standard so if these charging stations are going to be built they should be for faster Level 2 or higher charges.

Coquitlam is taking its time making this decision and so it should because there are already a lot of costs being piled on new developments and adding to the price of homes. But in the end, councillors will find that requiring a minimum Level 2 to be shared between two or more units is a sensible and not too onerous requirement.