Guest blogger David Corbeil is president and co-founder of RVE (Recharge Véhicule Électrique), a company that develops and implements solutions for facilitating home charging of electric vehicles.
As electric vehicle (EV) adoption continues to grow, one challenge remains stubbornly persistent across Canada: how to equip existing multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) with charging infrastructure — affordably, equitably, and at scale.
In this context, Quebec’s recently proposed draft regulation from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) represents an important step forward. Much of the attention has been on how the regulation promotes EV readiness in newly constructed buildings, but a quieter but no less significant feature of the regulation targets EV readiness in existing buildings—and could signal a shift in how we approach EV-ready upgrades more broadly.
Clarity where it’s been missing
Upgrades to existing buildings are, by nature, more complex than new builds. They often involve aging electrical systems, logistical constraints, and complex decision-making processes that make one-size-fits-all solutions difficult. What the RBQ has proposed is not a fix-all, but something perhaps more useful: a structured, realistic planning framework.
The introduction of the “Rapport de planification globale” (Global Planning Report, i.e. EV Ready Plan) brings discipline to a fragmented process. The report requires building owners and contractors to develop an EV-Ready plan that addresses five key elements before moving forward with an EV charging installation:
- The installation context for the power source
- A schematic of main entry points and metering
- A load calculation based on the building’s past 12 months of energy data
- An overview of the selected equipment
- A phased deployment strategy for the infrastructure
It’s not a shortcut. It’s a plan — and that’s the point.
What this means for building owners and residents
Rather than prescribing a technical solution, the RBQ’s approach creates space for adaptation, while still setting a clear expectation: EV-ready upgrades must be scalable, fair, and electrically feasible.
For building owners, this means fewer surprises mid-project. For residents, it increases the likelihood that charging will eventually be available to all—not just the first few who request it. And for contractors, it provides a consistent framework for scope, budgeting, and communication across stakeholders.
To help turn these requirements into action, platforms like Murbly offer dedicated services to produce the EV-Ready Plan required under Quebec’s new draft regulation. This plan ensures that a building’s electrical infrastructure can support the installation of charging stations for all residential parking spaces. Having supported condo boards with this kind of planning well before the regulation was introduced, Murbly brings both technical expertise and practical foresight to an increasingly important step in the upgrade process.
A thoughtful signal to the market
The regulation’s inclusion of EV-ready planning within a building code framework sends a clear message: EV-ready infrastructure is no longer niche. It’s infrastructure.
And this signal is backed by tangible government investment. As outlined in Quebec’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, $108 million is being allocated specifically to support EV-ready electrical infrastructure upgrades in MURBs—in addition to existing incentives for charging station installations. This funding helps remove one of the key barriers that have slowed down the adoption of EV-ready upgrades.
This matters. With most of Canada’s 2035 housing stock already built, any serious plan to scale EV adoption must include existing buildings. By providing a methodical, reasonable planning standard and generous incentives, Quebec is offering a useful starting point — one that the governments of Ontario and Canada should look to in designing their own policies to accelerate EV-ready upgrades in MURBs.
Making EV-ready upgrades work: the role of energy management
For the past 10 years at RVE, we’ve worked with building managers, contractors, and owners across Canada to deliver EV-ready upgrades. Our EV energy management systems (EVEMS) allow buildings to offer access to charging without major electrical upgrades.
By intelligently managing the available energy, EVEMS:
- Avoid costly panel upgrades
- Reduce grid impact
- Ensure fair and equal access across units
This enables EV-readiness and supports EV adoption in a wider range of buildings — from small walk-ups to high-rise condos — creating new opportunities for the local EV services industry and ensuring that no resident is left behind in the EV transition.
Looking Ahead
The RBQ’s draft regulation doesn’t just support EV readiness — it reinforces the idea that existing buildings can, and should, be part of the solution. In doing so, it shifts the conversation from barriers to planning, from cost to strategy, and from theory to implementation.
For Ontario and the federal government, this represents not just an example to consider, but an invitation to act. As more provinces grapple with the reality of electrifying urban housing, the value of clear, structured guidance, requirements, and incentives—like what Quebec is now offering—will only grow.
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