Drivers of electric vehicles and hybrids may soon find it easier to charge up their vehicles in Sidney, as the town looks at expanding charging opportunities.
Sidney’s off-street parking and loading bylaw requires that all parking spaces in multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings be serviced by electrical conduits that can support the installation of an electric vehicle charging station, said Bruce DeMaere, Sidney’s manager of engineering.
“Planning staff are currently in the process of preparing an amendment to [the bylaw] and one of the items being considered for inclusion in this amendment are revised requirements for EV charging in all zones,” he said.
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With such a move, Sidney would echo Saanich, which recently passed what it calls a “set of accelerated actions” to reduce that community’s greenhouse gas emissions and improve its capacity to respond to a changing climate after declaring a climate change emergency.
The approved measures include EV charging infrastructure requirements for all new developments as of June 2020.
Jim Henshaw of the Victoria Electric Vehicle Association said Saanich is the first municipality in the world to provide comprehensive amendments for all property zones. He added that this move represents the “greenest possible standard for regulating EV infrastructure in new construction” as it also applies to institutional, commercial and industrial land uses.
DeMaere said Sidney is aware of Saanich’s move.
“As Saanich has done significant work in this area, both in-house and in consultation with the public and development industry, we are watching their progress closely,” he said. “In the meantime, staff continue to research potential approaches to EV charging and a variety of possibilities for moving forward.”
Sidney operates four Level 2 public charging stations at its town hall, Parking Lot F (Third and Bevan), Tulista Park and Iroquois Park. BC Hydro also operates a fast-charging Level 3 station at Bevan and Seventh. Sidney does not have records for EV stations on private property.
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