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Electric Vehicle Charging and Your Community

Electric Vehicles are becoming more popular and therefore charging stations are becoming more important to provide to apartment communities, particularly in light of recent New York, New Jersey, and Federal Legislation, Executive Orders, and Incentives: 

Consider the following background regarding electric charging stations technology and limitations: 

The Society of Automotive Engineers International defines 3 levels of charging stations that vary in charging time: 

Level 3 charge time can be as fast as 30 minutes for an 80% charge. These are typically the commercial charging stations available to the public at parking facilities and other commercial or municipal or other public locations, or at new construction where Electric Vehicle Charging was anticipated. Level 3 charging stations are not typically available in existing apartment communities due to the infrastructure and service requirements. 

Possible Charging Times

Power supply  Voltage  Max. current  Approx. Charging time
Level 1 –
Single phase  		120 V AC  16 A  8-10 hours 
Level 2 –
Single phase  		230 V AC  16 A  5–6 hours 
Level 2 –
Single phase  		230 V AC  32 A  2-2½ hours 
Level 3 –
Three phase  		400 V AC  16 A  1½-2 hours 
Level 3 –
Three phase  		400 V AC  32 A  44–55 minutes 
Level 3 –
Three phase  		400 V AC  63 A  22–28 minutes 

Taken in part from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_station 

Annual consumer PEV sales are projected to hit 10 million by just 2025. Today, most people charge their electric vehicles at home because residential charging is convenient and inexpensive. This is true for single-family homeowners, but what about PEV owners who reside in Multi-Unit Dwellings or Multi-Family Housing?

EV charging stations for multi-family housing, such as apartments, condos, townhomes, and hotels, provide building owners with a unique way to help attract and retain residents and foster an environmentally sustainable community. However, most existing multi-unit dwellings are not yet set up for charging stations. Their electric vehicle-owning residents must find street chargers or parking structures with chargers that could be miles away from their home and add an additional monthly expense.

Charging at a multi-family residential building is possible, but the challenges many buildings face, especially in urban environments, range from having to upgrade the building’s electrical infrastructure to parking, billing, and legal concerns.

In the US, President Biden pledged to build 550,000 new PEV charging stations across the nation. States are helping to play a major role in pushing forward the PEV market by offering incentives including state tax rebates, utility grants, and other incentives. As part of an overall push toward sustainability, upgrading a building’s electrical infrastructure to support EV charging also provides an opportune time to investigate the feasibility of implementing energy saving and energy generation upgrades such as LED lighting, solar panels, and co-generation.

Considering the adoption of electric charging stations at multi-family residential buildings require a basic understanding of electric vehicle charging technology and their limitations. O&S will assist building owners who want to provide electric vehicle charging options by providing consulting and engineering services to:

Contact O&S to discuss your electric infrastructure planning and determine the location, quantity, and type of charging stations best suited to meet your community and business needs.