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Planning For Facility Changes to Accommodate Electric Vehicles

What Federal Agencies Need to Know

Part TwoWith the rise of greenhouse gases and global temperatures increasing, the U.S. Government invested in infrastructure law and encouraged more states to follow eco-friendly practices. In turn, there has been a rise in Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption and charging facilities, as more consumers and businesses adopt a sustainable lifestyle. In the first part of this series, we recommended an incremental approach to planning for near term and longer-term changes, versus installing vast quantities of EV charging equipment at once. For many facilities, and budgets, ‘slow and incremental changes’ will allow for a scalable approach, allowing some equipment installation to occur today, and more in the future, as the market and EV landscape changes and electric vehicle adoption grows.

Developing short and longer-term plans for rolling out charging systems will take some work, but a scaled plan can save facilities a lot of money and heartache.

Below are items to consider when embarking on an EV charging program. Some of these will require technical expertise to implement, but most of them are best addressed by the facility owners and occupants.

  1. Factoring in Facility Use for Federal Employees:

When considering charging infrastructure for employees, it’s best to poll them and determine how many are driving electric vehicles or are likely to purchase one in the next 2-3 years. That allows you to document the electrical capacity available for vehicle charging at your facility.

When planning charging stations for use by employees, consider proximity to the building and the overall scarcity of parking spaces. The matter of who gets to park where may already be a contentious issue. If EV charging spaces are “too good” and/or there aren’t enough general spaces for people to move their vehicles to after a charging session is complete, you’re likely to get people staying all day, even though a typical charge session will be less than four hours, reducing overall charging capacity. At many facilities, managing the organizational politics and daily habits of employees can be the most difficult part of successful EV charging implementation. In many ways, managing fleet vehicle charging is easier than for privately owned vehicles since there are fewer stakeholders.

  1. Factoring in Charging Needs for Government-Owned Vehicles

It’s also best to determine the current and predicted near-future number of government-owned vehicles (GOVs) to be based at this location. With GOVs, you’ll need to determine the average daily miles traveled for each vehicle (Refer to Part 1 of this series).

  1. Knowing The Electrical Infrastructure for Charging Facilities:

If the existing electrical infrastructure cannot accommodate significant charging equipment, you might consider adding a new electrical service dedicated to EV charging at a convenient location. In some cases, this can be cheaper and less disruptive than upgrading existing infrastructure. When trenching and installing new feeders, adding multiple empty conduits allows for easy installation of future stations. Facilitators should also include pull strings in conduits and confirm they’re undamaged during construction and before installation. When installing EV charging stations, they should be placed near electrical rooms to minimize the length of trenching and feeders, if possible. Additionally, it’s always advisable to plan for limited Direct Current (DC) fast charging equipment (Level 3) that accommodates passenger vans and other vehicles frequently driven. This equipment will require larger conductors and a bit more exterior space.

  1. Other Considerations for EV Planning & Building Management:

The documented electrical capacity will need to be confirmed at the facility’s main service entrance AND at the panels you’re hoping to serve charging equipment from. Metered data may also be something building management is required to record. An electrical professional should be consulted to help determine capability.

If possible, utilize third-party monitoring and billing for charging sessions (most charging equipment manufacturers offer this service). This eliminates the need to utilize government data networks and makes cybersecurity easier. Many manufacturers are moving to cellular modems in their charging stations that don’t require hard-wired data connections. Although convenient, a survey of cellular signal strength should be performed early, particularly if charging stations are being considered in parking structures.

Stay tuned for the final part of What Federal Agencies & Employees Need to Know About Accommodating Electric Vehicles: The Actual Impact of EV Charging On-Site Utility Demand