When called out to an apartment or condominium to assess how best to retrofit a parking garage with a bank of electric-vehicle chargers, contractor Signature Electric must first determine how much surplus power the building has at its disposal.
On costs, Marmer said, before a charger can go in, installing a new electrical panel, new wiring and some form of metering is typically required. For a single space, this work could cost $3,000 to $4,000 in the Toronto area, where Markham, Ont.-based Signature Electric operates. And that assumes the parking spot is in an accessible area.
Li’s Toronto-based company designs the software that powers DLM and builds the hardware to tap into “ancient” electrical panels to ensure they can communicate with modern technology. “That gives a lot of flexibility in terms of how you can optimize,” he said. “If you slow down charging for people, they’re going to get less energy, but ... you can make sure that everybody gets a little charge at the end of the day or at the end of their dwell period.”
“The retrofitting of older buildings and condos is a real problem,” Adams said. “It’s obviously way more expensive than doing it when the building is built, and there are lots of hoops that I think tenants need to go through — even convincing building management; in some cases other tenants, if it’s going to impact them — to undertake the retrofit.
Adams acknowledged the funding but said a simpler process would make the program more accessible. Currently, the funding is available through a request for proposals. Program administrators accept proposals during four windows each year.