After a round of public engagement and some debate about the merits of putting electric vehicle chargers at gas stations as well as parking lots, the case for accessibility won out and the policy passed with unanimous council support

In a bid to make electric vehicle charging more accessible in Vancouver, city council has unanimously approved a motion that requires all gas stations and parking lots with more than 60 stalls to have EV charging onsite or pay an annual license fee of $10,000 starting in 2025.

To comply with the new regulations, which were first bought forward in a report to council by city staff in April, gas stations must install at least one DC fast charger with a minimum of 50 kilowatts of charging speed. Parking lots will need to set up at least four Level 2 chargers, with at least 26.6 kilowatts of power.

Vancouver businesses that comply with the EV charging rules will pay a nominal annual license fee of $243 for gas stations and $163 for commercial parking lots.

Reducing barriers

Many city councillors said they supported adding EV charging at these sites to increase charging visibility and reduce barriers to EV adoption — especially for residents who do not have the opportunity to charge at home.

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