Quick EV charging now available at Columbia Shores Condominiums on Vancouver waterfront
For electric car owners living in apartments and condominiums, access to affordable, convenient charging has long been an obstacle. Columbia Shores Condominiums on the Vancouver waterfront recently installed new technology that could allow existing complexes with shared garages to meet this need and simultaneously charge dozens of EVs without investing millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades.
"It was really driven by the residents. But my main concern was safety because we were overloading our existing electrical circuitry in the garages, and we were tripping circuit breakers," said Eric Winkler, president of the condominium's homeowners association.
Working with Prairie Electric, the HOA found a solution to fit the existing limits of the building's underground parking garage using smart electric subpanels. Five smart subpanels were installed, along with wiring to each parking space. Individual owners could then choose whether to install a Level 2 charger at their spot.
"It was a little more expensive than other solutions, but it had so many smart features. What really was appealing was that it could track (energy) consumption so we could bill the people that are using electricity," Winkler said.
The new system monitors the battery levels of each car plugged into the system and prioritizes those with the lowest levels. As the battery fills up and other cars are plugged in, that car may move further down the priority list. The system also constantly delivers small bits of electricity to each vehicle until it's charged, preventing the system from being overloaded by trying to fully charge each car at the same time. The entire system and power consumption by each parking space can be viewed live through a website portal.
Apartment EV owners typically must rely on public charging stations or shared ports when they need to power up. For others, like the Columbia Shores residents, an alternative is to plug into a standard, 120-volt household outlet. With 95 parking spaces, Winkler was worried that adding more EVs would eventually overwhelm the building's wiring.
"I was worried about the risk of fire from all these people trying to plug their electric vehicles into this little 20-amp circuit," he said.
Public charging stations can be time consuming, inconvenient and expensive. Rates per kilowatt-hour at public charging stations can range from 25 cents per kilowatt-hour during off-peak times up to 60 cents per kilowatt-hour, plus guest fees, subscription fees and other upcharges. That's compared with 8.79 cents per kilowatt-hour charged by Clark Public Utilities.
To upgrade the electric panels, each resident paid about $700. Those wanting a Level 2 charger installed paid an additional $2,800 to run wiring to their parking space, plus the cost of the charger. Rather than requiring everyone to have the same charger, each resident got to choose which charger they wanted regardless of manufacturer, as long as it met state rebate requirements.
Working with Clark Public Utilities, the HOA had about half of the $400,000 cost paid for through rebates and incentives.
Matt Babbitts, energy services project manager for Clark Public Utilities, said the incentives were part of the state's new transportation electrification program, which aims to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and reduce carbon emissions. The program also allows public utilities to earn program credits, which can be sold to generate revenue.
As one of the electric utilities participating in the state program, Babbitts said, Clark Public Utilities has an opportunity to create EV programs for its customers that meet state requirements, like the Columbia Shores project.
"Historically, the multifamily sector of the market has been somewhat underserved for electric vehicles and transportation electrification," he said. "That is primarily due to the higher costs that come with installing EV charging infrastructure at apartment or condo complexes, as well as some of the additional complexities that come with those projects."
Although developers are now building to meet future EV charging needs, existing apartment and condominium complexes weren't built with this in mind. Adding needed infrastructure later can mean tearing up a parking lot, boring underground to get power to specific areas or upgrading a transformer, which can be costly.
"We recognize that kind of gap existed in the market, and we wanted to use these new Washington Clean Fuel Standard revenues to design a program that would serve that harder-to-reach multifamily sector," Babbitts said.
Columbia Shores resident Anita Totman said charging her Mini Cooper is far easier now with a Level 2 charger installed.
"It's unbelievable. It really is. For five years, I've been sneaking under the door in the storage unit and plugging into a 120 (volt outlet) and waiting a day and a half before it's fully charged," she said. "Now it's just a few hours. It was worth it."
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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