Where should the charger sit in a West Vancouver garage with two cars?

For a two-car garage in West Vancouver, the most practical placement puts one Level 2 charger between the two stalls, centred on the shared wall or a structural post, so a single cord reaches either vehicle. That works well if you charge one car at a time. If both cars need overnight charging simultaneously, you will want two chargers, one per stall, or a load-managed dual-outlet unit.

Placement details that matter in a West Vancouver garage

Mount the charger at roughly 1.2 to 1.5 metres above the finished floor, on the wall closest to where the charge port sits on your vehicles. Most North American EVs have the port at the front left or rear left, so a side wall or the back wall between the stalls is usually the sweet spot. Keep the cord path clear of where you walk and away from the front of the stall where a bumper could contact the unit.

West Vancouver's marine climate means moisture management matters even inside a garage. If the garage is not fully enclosed or has an open front, specify a charger rated NEMA 4 or NEMA 3R for wet locations, and make sure the outlet or hardwired connection uses a weatherproof box. Corrosion at the breaker connection is a real issue in older West Vancouver homes close to the water.

The electrical run is often the bigger decision than the wall position. A detached or semi-detached garage in West Vancouver can mean a long conduit run from the main panel, sometimes 20 to 30 metres or more, which adds cost and may require a sub-panel in the garage rather than a single circuit back to the house. A 50A dedicated circuit (for a 40A continuous load, which is standard for Level 2) is the minimum for a single charger; two chargers typically need either two 50A circuits or a load-sharing unit on one 60A to 80A circuit.

For a single charger with a short run and available panel capacity, budget roughly $800 to $2,000 installed. A long run, a detached garage, or two chargers with load management typically runs $2,500 to $4,000 or more before the cost of the charger hardware itself ($600 to $1,000 per unit).

Permits and authority: West Vancouver runs its own electrical permit and inspection program, separate from Technical Safety BC. Your electrician pulls the permit through the District of West Vancouver's building department, not through Technical Safety BC. Make sure the permit is included in any quote you receive.

On rebates, the BC Hydro EV charger rebate covers 50% of purchase and installation up to $350 for eligible single-family homes. CleanBC Go Electric has additional programs worth checking before work starts, and most require the permit to be in place, so apply before the electrician books the job.

Before hiring, ask for the contractor's Technical Safety BC licence number and WorkSafeBC coverage, and confirm both independently. A fair quote for this job includes the circuit, the permit and inspection fee, any conduit or trenching, the load calculation if the panel is close to capacity, and all materials.

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