Making way for electric vehicles

Amenable: Condo developers are gearing up for the electric-powered car and its support infrastructure

Nationalpost.com
May 21, 2019
Adam Bisby

Location, location, location. It’s true, the right postcode and co-ordinates certainly count. But whether a buyer wants to be in the heart of downtown, in the financial district, or in a trendy hood, they’re looking for something to set their address apart from the others. Here are some of the hottest amenities on offer.

The commuter appeal of Transit City is clear: The condo community is located next to the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre TTC station. But the second phase of the project will also include another form of in-house transit. The 45-storey TC4 tower -- one of three new buildings in the works -- will be home to three Tesla electric cars for resident use.

Teslas could also be in the cards for The Livmore at the corner of Bay and Gerrard. The 43-storey condo tower’s owners, GWL Realty Advisors, are reportedly working to bring a fleet of electric vehicles, including a Tesla Model S and a Fiat 500e, to the building through a partnership with Los Angeles-based car-sharing platform Envoy.

In Calgary, the four-storey, 33-unit Mantra development in the Marda Loop district will also include an electric smart car for residents’ private use.

This reflects a push by both developers and governments across the country to encourage condo residents to use and own electric vehicles. According to the Association of Condo Managers of Ontario, for example, although EV chargers are being installed in a growing number of new condos, only about 10 per cent of existing buildings have them.

To change that, provincial regulations came into effect last year to put strict parameters on how quicklycondo boards deal with owners’ proposals for charging stations (within 60 days) and any associated costs such as insurance and electricity (within 90 days).

Owner proposals aside, several new GTA developments, such as Benvenuto Group’s 293 The Kingsway mid-rise project and Collecdev’s Tretti Condos in Wilson Heights, are including EV charging stations in their plans.