EV CHARGING FACILITY INSTALLATION ISSUES (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).
Helping Consumers with EV Charger Installation
Many parties are expected to be involved in the siting, design, and installation of EV charging facilities, including the local electric utility, automobile manufacturers and local dealers, charger manufacturers, local electrical contractors, code enforcement officials, and individual consumers. To date, the industry has not agreed on a formal process for installing EV charging equipment that meets the time expectations and desires of a potential EV purchaser. The industry’s ultimate goal is to establish a smooth, coordinated process that will ensure installation of the charging equipment at the consumer’s residence within 72 hours.
In the early years, utility and government fleets are expected to be the primary customers for EVs. Most parties believe that fleet EV purchasers will install charging facilities for EVs as they are delivered, using the electric utility as a resource for any needed technical information.
The sale of EVs to consumers living ins ingle and multi-family dwellings may present substantially different challenges. A CALSTART study, Optimum Retail Process for Establishing Residential EV Charging, concluded the following:
- Consumers want options as to who is responsible for installing the electrical circuit/charger in their homes.
- Consumers are extremely tolerant and patient regarding the turn-around time for EV charging installation. A reasonable turn-around time was one week after the purchase of an EV.
- Consumers require education on all aspects of EV ownership and operation. Expanding upon the first conclusion, researchers found four basic installation scenarios that consumers would consider:
- The EV dealer is responsible for the installation.
- The consumer initiates the process by contacting the electric utility.
- The consumer initiates the process and coordinates activities with an independent electrical contractor.
- The consumer completes the work.
To date, electric utilities have taken different approaches to installing EV charging facilities in residences. LADWP, and SMUD intend to install, and in some cases retain ownership of, the charging circuit. Virginia Power and BECO intend to distribute off-board chargers to customers. And Arizona Public Service intends to simply provide information to the consumer on the installation process.
Automobile dealers have indicated that they want to control the process of the EV sale and installation of home charging. In this case, the process might flow as follows. The auto dealer and electric utility could set the stage by reapproving qualified electricians to install the charging equipment and by gaining a commitment from the building department to issue building permits and conduct inspections quickly. As a backup, local stakeholders may also agree to allow a temporary hookup, probably using level 1 charging, if the consumer requires a speedy installation and the 72-hour turn-around goal can’t be met. Other preliminary steps would be to create lists of utility and building department contacts and of qualified electricians and to develop a standard form that auto dealers could use to initiate the installation process with the customer. The form would cover administrative details and provide information on topics the consumer might need to consider, such as the possibility of obtaining a special electricity rate for EV charging and the need for a local building official to inspect the consumer’s home to determine whether an electrical panel upgrade or fan will be required. Dealers would review the form with EV purchasers and provide the lists of contacts. From this point, the consumer would handle installation details, using the dealer or electric utility as a resource.
The critical element in the successful sale of an EV, the installation of the EV charging station, and the operation of the EV is consumer education. It would be very unfortunate if a dealer sold an EV to a consumer who later found that the cost and complexity to install an EV charging station was not practical.
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EV CHARGING FACILITY INSTALLATION ISSUES (1)
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).
The electric utility industry has taken the lead in planning for and installing EV charging facilities. However, the automotive industry has been an active partner in working to design, test, and implement processes for the timely installation of EV charging facilities.
This section outlines some of the EV charging installation issues that implementors should consider. Specifically, this section addresses:
- EV charging facility installation process
- Helping consumers with EV charging installation
EV charging facility installation process
An EV installation process that satisfies the building permit regulations and EV customers will have to take into account the following:
- EV Readiness and Load Evaluation
- Calculate the existing electrical load connected to electrical panel
- Determine if electric service panel requires upgrade
- Determine materials required for the installation of the dedicated electric circuit, off-board charger or interface devices (for on-board charger), and load management device, if required
- Estimate the total cost of the circuit installation and panel upgrade, if required
- Determine best billing rate for customer
- Evaluate the added EV load impact to utility system - EV Charger/Interconnection Device Sales Process
- Customer purchases necessary equipment from the dealer of his/her choice - Electric Circuit Installation
- Obtain any necessary electrical, mechanical, or other installation permits
- Install the electric circuit and connect equipment using licensed, experienced electricians
- Control quality
- Have installation inspected by local enforcement agency - Aftermarket Service and Warranty Support
- Ensure that the organizations that provided the above-listed products and services provide seamless service and warranty to the customer
Applying for a building permit for installing a charging facility sets in motion a sequence of events that can vary from one jurisdiction to the next. The public works or building department will most likely issue the permits. Officials in this department will likely not be familiar with EV charging equipment or installation requirements as the first installations are made. Consequently, these officials may be reluctant, resistant, or skeptical about issuing permits for such work.
EV implementors should therefore plan to spend time educating local officials and inspectors on EV technology, charging facilities, and applicable building codes. Local officials may also request information on lighting of the parking/charging area, buffers to protect the charging equipment from damage by the vehicle, and signage in public locations to designate the parking space as an EV charging station. To address these information needs, implementors could work with an engineer/consultant to develop a set of ‘‘boilerplate’’ drawings—including one line diagram, detailed views, and signage—for EV charging facilities. Developing boilerplate electrical specifications could also be useful. These could include the following items:
- Foundations for pedestal-type charging equipment
- Excavation and backfill for installing the electrical conduit and/or foundations
- Requirements for conduit materials and installation
- Trenching in paved areas for the installation of electrical conduit
- Types of wiring to be installed
- Wiring techniques permitted and not permitted
- Bonding and grounding requirements
- Panel board markings and ratings
- Field and functional tests to be conducted
This case study discusses the value of such drawings:
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Boilerplate drawings and specifications greatly aided SMUD in its successful pioneering efforts to become EV-Ready. SMUD and its consulting firm, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, Inc., were able to gain the trust and cooperation of local public works officials by involving all interested parties in the formulation of the drawings and specifications. SMUD found that the EV charging installation permit application and approval process became familiar, routine, and time efficient. A copy of the drawings and specifications are included in Volume III of this Manual.
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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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