Occupational therapist Fernanda Lara Peralta is thrilled West Park’s new hospital will have electric car charging stations available for her Tesla, which her tech savvy husband affectionately named “Neb” after the hovercraft Nebuchadnezzar from the sci-fi action movie The Matrix
With the environment playing a major role in her decision to purchase an electric vehicle, Fernanda Lara Peralta, a Registered Occupational Therapist at West Park, has been enjoying her Tesla SUV the past year. Her favourite part is the acceleration.
“It feels like a rocket when you go from zero to 90,” says an enthusiastic Lara Peralta. “I also love how it can pre-heat the car in the winter.”
Electric vehicles are on the rise mainly due to socially and environmental conscious Canadians and the rising costs associated with gas vehicles. But one of the major concerns for current and potential drivers is the limited charging infrastructure.
In the new hospital, West Park will have a minimum of 14 electric charging stations with the infrastructure to expand.
This is wonderful news. I am so happy to hear chargers will be available,” says Lara Peralta. “It will make coming to work easy-peasy.”
Here’s what electric car owners can expect in the new building:
- West Park will have all Level 2 electric vehicle chargers, the most common type of chargers
- Of the 14 car charging stations, there will be a minimum of four charging stations available in the visitors parking area and a minimum of 10 charging stations in the staff parking area
In accordance with the Building Code, West Park must designate about three per cent of its total parking spaces to electric vehicle charging stations. In addition, West Park has included the power capacity, breakers and conduits to support additional plug-in stations in the future.
The vehicle charging stations are one of many initiatives West Park is taking to create a green building. West Park’s new facility is striving to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification, a globally recognized green building program, with a designation of silver or higher.
For LEED certification, Building projects must earn points or credits by selecting from a menu of requirements that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality. The Canada Green Building Council verifies the projects to award points that correspond to a level of LEED certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points) and Platinum (80+ points).