August 2017
Residents in one Toronto condo building received the following notice in a letter; “Don’t buy an electrically powered vehicle in the expectation that you can have it recharged or powered on our premises … for now, thinking about buying an electrically powered vehicle may not be a practical thing.”
The building was completed in the late 1980s and has over 400 underground parking spaces. The corporation receives a single bill for electricity use that covers the entire building inclusive of common areas and suites. This expense is split among all suite owners and paid as part of monthly condo fees.
The corporation does not feel it is fair to charge all owners for electricity used to recharge personal electric vehicles. They believe that recharging a vehicle is comparable to refilling a tank with gas which is the responsibility of individual residents.
“Don’t buy an electrically powered vehicle in the expectation that you can have it recharged or powered on our premises … for now, thinking about buying an electrically powered vehicle may not be a practical thing.”
“Condominiums currently do not supply gas for residents’ vehicles and do not provide a location for their vehicles to get gas.”
The letter goes on to say “Condominiums currently do not supply gas for residents’ vehicles and do not provide a location for their vehicles to get gas.”
The corporation found that residents were unenthusiastic about installing charging stations for which individual residents could pay a surcharge to cover the cost. There was also little support for individual charging stations installed for personal parking spaces which would cost about $2,000 per parking space after the corporation installed a costly infrastructure to deliver this electricity.
