Electric vehicle charger rebate program for multi-unit residential buildings
About the program
Rebates are available to help homes and workplaces across B.C. get ready for electric vehicles (EVs). The program is funded by the Government of B.C.'s Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions. Occasionally, it receives financial support from the Government of Canada. Both BC Hydro and FortisBC administer this program.
The program aims to support apartment, condo and townhome complexes in becoming EV Ready. This includes rebates not just for EV chargers, but for electrical upgrades to become EV Ready.
Pre-approval from BC Hydro is required.
In an initial consultation, advisors will collect information about the location and the occupants' charging needs. They will also explain your different charging options. This is a high-level review, not a substitute for an electrician or electrical engineer. Advisors can also work with stratas and complex managers to help them understand EV charging quotes from contractors.
If you need more than five hours from an advisor, they can provide you with additional service for an hourly rate.
Rebate offers
Options available to apartment, condo and townhome complexes
Provincial rebates are available to support your complex in upgrading to EV charging at residential parking stalls. If your complex does not yet have the electrical capacity to install chargers, the EV Ready rebates can help get you there; these rebates help pay for planning and infrastructure upgrades to enable each dwelling to add a charger over time, as well as support for the individual chargers. If your complex isn't prepared to do an EV Ready retrofit, the standalone EV charger rebate supports the purchase and installation of individual chargers.
An apartment, condo or townhome complex must have five or more units to qualify for multi-unit residential buildings EV charger rebates. If your building has four or less units you can still apply for the single-family home charger rebate.
Not sure whether your building should apply for the single-family home rebate or the apartment, condo or townhome rebate? Ask your electrician for guidance.
If adding a charger for every dwelling would require upgrades to commonly owned electrical infrastructure, or if chargers would need to be coordinated to avoid overloading commonly owned electrical infrastructure, then your complex is likely a fit for the apartment, condo and townhome rebates. For further details, see the EV Charger Rebate Program Guide [PDF, 849 KB].
You can reduce the cost per parking space for installing EV chargers by taking advantage of the EV Ready rebates. They can also help simplify the process to install additional chargers, as more EVs are adopted over time.
EV Ready rebates offer a maximum of $137,000 in funding per apartment, condo or townhome complex. This funding is broken up across the plan, infrastructure and chargers:
- Up to $3,000 for EV Ready plan
- Up to $120,000 for EV Ready infrastructure
- Up to $14,000 for chargers
Your building will need to have completed an EV Ready plan, Opportunity Assessment, or Electrical Planning Report to qualify for the standalone EV charger rebate.
Enhanced rebates may be available for Indigenous Peoples and participating communities. Check the charger rebate top-ups page for current enhanced rebate details and eligibility.
What does "EV Ready" mean?
EV Ready means getting a complex ready to accommodate high levels of future EV charging. Specifically, it results in a parking space featuring an electrical wiring installation that provides a final connection point in an electrical wiring installation for an EV charger.
An EV Ready plan is your first step to making it possible for every dwelling in your building to add an EV charger. It is a professional document prepared by a licensed electrical contractor and/or electrical engineer that assesses your building's current EV readiness, considers alternatives and recommends a solution to make it EV Ready. The proposed solution will provide one EV Ready parking space per residential unit, or per parking stall if there are fewer parking spaces than residential units. Each EV Ready parking space will be at least capable of meeting the average daily charging needs of your building's residents even once every vehicle in your parkade is an EV.
Starting July 15, 2026 there are new requirements in the EV Ready plan, including documenting alternative solutions at a high level. Make sure to review the latest EV Charger Rebate Program Guide [PDF, 849 KB] for all details. The plan must meet all requirements to be eligible for the rebate. You can also ask your contractor to include additional information such as:
- Estimates for Low Carbon Fuel Standard credit generation
- Estimates for the impacts to your electrical bill
- Maintenance requirements
There are many possible solutions to adding EV charging to most buildings, so it's important to discuss this with your contractor as each solution can have different benefits.
Eligible EV Ready plans can receive a rebate of up to 75% of the costs of creating the plan to a maximum of $3,000 while funding lasts. Select municipalities offer top-ups that increase rebate amounts.
An EV Ready plan requires pre-approval.
Your EV Ready plan will guide your EV charger installation, and will document any electrical infrastructure upgrades, such as new electrical panels and conduits and wires running throughout the parkade, required to make your parkade EV Ready. The EV Ready infrastructure rebate helps you do these core upgrades at once, so you can capitalize on the efficiency of scale and create an organized and cost-efficient EV charging system.
Strata or complex owners installing EV Ready infrastructure can receive up to 50% of the cost for infrastructure and installation. This rebate is available to a maximum of $600 per parking stall, and a project maximum of $120,000, while funding lasts. Select municipalities offer top-ups that increase rebate amounts.
To apply for an EV Ready infrastructure rebate, you must have previously applied for and received an EV Ready plan rebate.
Rebates are available for the cost of purchasing and installing EV chargers at your complex, while funding lasts.
Stratas, complex owners or individual residents can apply for pre-approval to receive a rebate for eligible EV chargers. EV Ready charger rebates provide up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum of $1,400 per charger, adding to the $600 per stall made EV Ready through the EV Ready infrastructure rebate. Standalone charger rebates provide up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum of $2,000 per charger. The maximum rebate is $14,000 per apartment, condo or townhome complex. Dual-port stations count as two chargers. Select municipalities and Indigenous Peoples may qualify for enhanced rebates or top-ups; check the charger rebate top-ups page for current details.
You can apply for this rebate regardless of whether you have participated in the EV Ready rebates, but your complex must have completed electrical planning to ensure that your EV charger installation is done in a way that will not unnecessarily restrict others from adding chargers in the future. That planning is best done in the form of an EV Ready plan but can also be done through an Electrical Planning Report or an Opportunity Assessment.
How it works
1. Apply for pre-approval
Pre-approval is required before you start or commit to work.
When you have your documents ready, proceed to the application form. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete the three-step application form. You'll be asked to provide your contact details and information about your complex. Additionally, you'll need to provide information about the work to be done.
You can also authorize your contractor to share, receive and submit project information to us on your behalf. Simply sign and submit a MURB Contractor-Participant Consent Form [PDF, 261 KB] during your pre-approval application process. Incentive payments must go directly to the utility customer.
When you've submitted your application, you'll receive a confirmation number via email.
2. Once you're pre-approved
After we review your application you'll receive an email within 30 days. This email will indicate whether or not you've been pre-approved, along with a summary of your next steps. Next steps include the deadline to complete your project and submit your paid invoices.
Your contractor will need to complete a contractor installation form. This form needs to be submitted with your final invoices. There are two variations of this document, depending on what you’ve been pre-approved for:
- EV Ready infrastructure rebate (on its own or combined with other rebates): EV Ready contractor installation form A [PDF, 79 KB]
- EV charger rebate only (for complexes that have previously received an EV Ready infrastructure rebate): EV Ready contractor installation form B [PDF, 79 KB]
3. Submit your final application
You have six or nine months from your pre-approval date to complete the project and submit your final application, depending on rebate type. EV charger-only projects have six months. EV Ready plan and EV Ready infrastructure projects have nine months. In your application, you'll need to provide:
- Your application reference number: Find this in the subject line of the confirmation email you received following your pre-approval application (e.g. SC-000123).
- Charger invoice: A complete copy of the paid, itemized receipt for eligible charger(s). Must include retailer's name, address and phone number. If this cost is included with the installation invoice, you can indicate this at the time of upload.
- Installation invoice: A copy of the paid invoice for the cost of the charger and/or electrical infrastructure installation labour and construction by a licensed electrician. See a sample invoice [PDF, 82 KB].
- Picture of installed charging station(s): One image per station if multiple stations are part of your application.
- Proof of charger internet connectivity: A screenshot of the back-end network operating system that shows that the charging stations are connected to the network.
- A copy of the appropriate completed contractor form (see variations above)
Then, we'll review your documents and if everything meets the requirements, we'll process your rebate payment within 90 days.
Eligibility
These rebates can be combined with other incentives. If combined, it will be capped so that the total incentives don't exceed the total cost of the equipment and installation.
Pre-approval from BC Hydro is required for EV Ready plan, EV Ready infrastructure and EV charger rebate applications before starting work or incurring eligible project costs. Once you've received pre-approval, your project must be completed and your final application submitted within the timeline shown in your pre-approval email.
If your townhome complex has private parking for each unit, you don't need to make all units EV Ready at the same time.
- Individual owners can have the electrical infrastructure and EV charger installed on an as-needed basis.
- The installation for each resident would be defined by the EV Ready plan that was approved for their townhome complex.
- Townhome administrators must first have their EV Ready plan complete and apply for the EV Ready plan. It also must be approved by BC Hydro.
- Unit owners can then apply for the rebate individually.
Townhome complexes that have common property parking stalls must complete the electrical infrastructure upgrades all at once. This includes, for example, parking in an underground parkade. These upgrades must be completed in accordance with your approved EV Ready plan.
For the EV Ready plan, the cost of developing the plan is eligible for rebate. Taxes on these costs are not eligible for rebate.
The following costs are eligible for the EV Ready infrastructure rebate:
- Engineering design services
- Electrical and communication infrastructure installation
- Associated construction costs
- Permit costs
- Utility extension fees
- EV parking signage
Additionally, your building or complex must meet eligibility requirements. Apartments, condos and townhome complexes must have been constructed no later than August 31, 2022. This rebate is for retrofit solutions only, new builds are ineligible. Buildings built after municipal bylaws came into effect requiring EV Ready parking are not eligible for EV Ready rebates. Chargers must meet EV charger rebate eligibility requirements.
The installation of chargers and/or infrastructure must be done by a certified electrician. Electrical permits are required. Consider working with an electrician who has completed the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training program.
Find EV chargers eligible for rebates.
You may need consent from your landlord and/or strata at this stage, depending on the ownership structure of your residence and it's building. See the resources tab of this page for all consent forms.
Your building needs to have considered electrical planning before it is eligible for EV charger rebates. This can be done through an EV Ready Plan, Electrical Planning Report or an Opportunity Assessment. This requirement ensures that the building management is aware of any future capacity limitations, and therefore can consider how they will be resolved, before approving individual charger installations.
Find EV chargers eligible for rebates
How to apply
Already pre-approved? Complete your application to finalize your submission.
Have questions about EV charger rebate eligibility? Email us.
Required documentation
Make sure you have the necessary documents ready before you start your pre-approval application. Each rebate has unique documentation requirements.
- EV Ready plan quote: A copy of the quote from the electrical contractor to create an EV Ready plan for your property.
See the EV Ready plan requirements [PDF, 849 KB].
- Infrastructure installation quote: A copy of the quote from the electrical contractor for the costs (broken down by activities performed) to install the electrical infrastructure required to implement your EV Ready plan.
You'll need to provide a copy of your previously approved EV Ready plan and workbook.
Has your plan changed since it was approved? Email us.
If you're applying for only the charger rebate, and you haven't received an EV Ready rebate in the past:
- Quote of work: A copy of the quote for the costs of the EV charger, charger installation and electrical service upgrades (if applicable). The quote should be broken down by activities performed and come from a licensed electrical contractor.
Additionally, if you're applying in combination with an EV Ready infrastructure rebate, you'll need:
- EV Ready plan
- EV Ready plan workbook
In this case, your charge and infrastructure quotes may be combined.