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The global energy transition is driven by the progressive replacement of carbon-based fuels with renewables, and the direct and indirect electrification of more applications — including transportation. It’s important to understand that electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI) involves much more than just adding the physical charging device. There are wide-ranging demands on a building’s electrical infrastructure to handle the incremental energy load of the chargers. This increased energy consumption can impact incoming utility service, power distribution system design and even necessitate distributed energy resources like solar and battery storage, to offset utility demand and time-of-use rates.
Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is on the rise in America. In August, President Joe Biden signed an executive order setting a target of 50% passenger vehicles sold by 2030 to be electric. Additionally, the governor of New York recently set goals for all passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, and California has similar requirements for light-duty autonomous vehicles to emit zero emissions starting in 2030.
To accommodate this growth, many states are challenging building owners to develop “EV- ready” power distribution systems that have electrical infrastructure capacity, dedicated branch circuits and other equipment to distribute power to EV parking spots to support future installation of charging stations.
Today, more than ever, the electrical infrastructure supporting commercial buildings must be able to adapt to change. In our opinion, that means designing buildings to safely support the EV charging needs of the future. In this article, we’ll summarize various considerations for safe EVCI including:
When it comes to National Electric Code (NEC) requirements for EVCI installation, there are a number of requirements impacting EV charging systems. Some of these, per the 2020 version of the NEC, include the following:
In addition to the NEC, there are relevant product safety certifications specific to AC charging (UL 25942), DC charging (UL 2202 and UL 2231) and bidirectional charging (UL 9741) that should be adhered to.
Both AC and DC charging options have their place, and each comes with business and installation considerations.
AC charging is typically used to charge where a vehicle will spend the most time parked, for example at work, school, shopping, entertainment or hotels. Level 1 charging can also be used in locations where vehicles you park overnight but can take up to 12 hours to fully charge, whereas Level 2 charging typically takes approximately four hours to charge.
DC-type charging is preferred in some applications and for specific needs, depending on vehicle routes and dwelling time. This type of charging involves more power and can deliver a required charge in as little as 30 minutes.
It’s expected that AC charging will represent the largest global public installs through 2025, and DC charging will provide critical network support on long travel routes like interstate highways as well as support for fleet operations and charging at popular destinations.
Further, EV charging systems can be optimized with charge management software, battery energy storage and the integration of renewables like solar PV to meet cost, resilience and sustainability goals.
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When upgrading or designing building systems, planning for future EVCI capacity needs to avoid significant changes and costs later is important. In other words, you need to future-proof and provide the electrical architecture for what’s to come. How many chargers will be required? How much additional power (KVA) do you need to accommodate for growth? It is critical that incoming utility electrical service and power distribution feeders are sized appropriately to be able to power EV charging safely and reliably.
For example, EVs are expected to make up 10% of the new car market in America by 20251 — meaning a typical local distribution center could reasonably expect to convert 10% or more of its parking capacity to bays with chargers. Most of these chargers (90%) could be Level 2 chargers for employees, but several would need to be DC fast chargers for local delivery trucks, which need much more power. Even if only half of the chargers at the facility are used at any one time, the site’s power demand can easily increase by a megawatt, effectively doubling the power requirements.
Building owners should consider this vastly increased power requirement before adding EVCI because sufficient electrical capacity may not be available. Current versions of DC rapid chargers typically have a power demand of 20 to 350 kW. However, more powerful chargers are becoming available. Careful planning and system design are essential to maximize the return on investment for costly site upgrades associated with pulling more power from the electric grid.
Optimizing EVCI with load management technology will enable more installed chargers that deliver the optimal amount of power that the chargers need. Further, when available capacity is reached, load management software limits energy consumption and reduces the available power. This integral approach to load management enables load shedding and avoids exceeding the incoming service capacity. However, if current electrical capacity simply cannot meet expected demand, electrical capacity must be increased at the utility service.
An alternative to increasing service entrance upgrades is to incorporate onsite renewables and energy storage. This strategy enables owners and building managers to avoid expensive electrical capacity additions while supporting a more sustainable, low-carbon future.
Now and in the future, electrical infrastructure needs to do much more than just receive power from the grid for distribution to building loads and equipment. With significant growth of EVs on the horizon, it is important to start thinking about what steps are required to build safe EVCI for commercial buildings.
There is an enormous opportunity to manage power far more effectively, taking advantage of a new power paradigm that is decentralized, electrified and decarbonized. If completed with safety and reliability in mind, the critical task of adding EVCI can be accomplished without unnecessary costs or complications down the road. With all that said, there is no doubt that EVCI design and NEC codes will continue to evolve, so energy infrastructure can work in new ways to ensure the power is always on and optimized for efficiency and safety.
Sources:
Electric Vehicle Share in the US Reaches Record Levels in 2020, According to IHS Markit. IHS Markit, 2021.
Electric vehicle system safety: debunking common myths and exploring new technology.
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