EXTERNAL FACTORS AFFECTING CHARGER INSTALLATION (2)

Editor’s Note: These series are selected from manual Electric Vehicle Community Market Launch Manual: A Guide to Prepare Your Community for Electric Vehicles which was prepared by the Electric Transportation Coalition (ETC) and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas (EVAA) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Provisions for EVs

The IWC has prepared informational bulletins with answers to frequently asked questions on EV code issues. These documents can be found in Volume III of this Manual. The following excerpts summarize the recent provisions for EVs:

  • The industry is moving toward ‘‘sealed’’ battery systems. However, vehicles may contain ‘‘open’’ (vented) batteries that emit hydrogen gas.
  • When charging open batteries, ventilation may be required to ensure non-explosive levels of hydrogen. The minimum ventilation required is provided in a table in the 1996 NEC Article 625. Batteries listed as ‘‘suitable for indoor charging’’ do not require ventilation. Some local jurisdictions may chose to include ventilation provisions in their building and/or mechanical codes rather than in their electrical codes.
  • Investigation and research have concluded that the weight of an EV poses no structural concerns for parking lots and that no specialized plumbing or drainage systems are needed. However, most building codes do need to be amended to add appropriate and consistent definitions of an EV and garage to include the storage and charging of EVs within the scope of the definition.

Local Ordinances Requiring EV Wiring in New Construction

A local community may wish to adopt an ordinance that requires new residential construction to include an EV-wiring raceway. As noted above, this race way consists of a conduit running from the electric service panel to a two-gang electrical box located in the garage. The raceway should reduce the cost and time of installing an EV charging station compared to retrofitting a residential structure: when a homeowner purchases an EV, an electrician can simply pull the required wiring through the raceway. The following case study describes an EV raceway ordinance:

Sacramento, California
On June 14, 1994, the County of Sacramento, California, at the urging of SMUD, adopted the first ordinance of its kind that requires new residential construction after January 1, 1995, to include a wiring raceway for EV charging. In part, the ordinance states that “every new Group R-3 occupancy building (residential structures) shall provide for a future electric vehicle charging circuit by providing a 3/4 inch raceway from the service panel to a 2- gang box located in a location acceptable to the Chief Building Inspector.’’ The City of Sacramento adopted identical language two months later. To help the building industry comply with the ordinance, the County and City of Sacramento have provided drawings that show the suggested location of the 2-gang box. Once the installation has been completed and approved by the local building inspector, the building inspector affixes a decal to the electrical box indicating that the wiring raceway is for EV use only.

While the process of adopting a similar ordinance will vary among communities, the process is likely to involve the local fire marshall, electric utility, building industry association, contractors, land use planners, realtors, and the public. As in the case of Sacramento, each participant will view the proposed ordinance from a different perspective:

Sacramento, California
As the process to adopt the Sacramento ordinance proceeded, the following questions had to be resolved to all parties’ satisfaction:

Question:
What is the cost to install the wiring race way in new residential dwellings?
Answer:
Labor and materials average $40.
Question:
Is there a need to increase the capacity of the electric service panel to accommodate the wiring raceway?
Answer:
No. As long as the local utility provides a load management device that encourages EV charging during the off peak hours and/or ensures mutually exclusive loads. If not, an allowance for a 40 ampere additional service may be necessary.
Question:
Is there a need to install a ventilation fan?
Answer:
Systems labeled ‘‘safe for indoor charging’’ do not require mechanical ventilation. If a homeowner buys an EV with a charging system that requires ventilation, the building official can require the installation of a ventilation system.
Question:
Why is there a need for this ordinance?
Answer:
The installation of the wiring raceway during construction is significantly less costly than retrofitting.

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March 1, 2008 · Filed Under Electric Car Conversion Blog

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