UDI Seminar: The Value of EV Charging in Multi-Family Buildings

On January 16th, EV-Solve were asked to join an expert panel for part 2 of the UDI electric vehicle seminar. This very enjoyable and informative event consisted of a presentation from each expert on the panel, followed by an open Q&A session. This gave the UDI members a chance to learn firsthand on the following topics:

• What do home builders need to consider when offering EV charging in new developments? 

• What technologies are available to home builders and what features are important to EV drivers and strata’s in terms of using and managing charging stations?

• How will offering charging be impacted by parking entitlements and other strata by-laws, and what do home builders need to consider to minimize challenges to residents/future buyers?

• What is EV charging energy management and how can home builders install more chargers with fixed capacity? How can energy audits help buildings prepare for EV readiness?

What is EV Charging energy management and how can home builders install more chargers with fixed capacity?

Probably the single biggest factor that limits the deployment of EV charging systems is the available power and how it limits us to install the desired number of chargers. Energy management or load management, at the building or charger level, is another tool a building can use to expand the number of EV’s that can charge in a building and to limit the total amount of electricity used for EV charging. Energy management can be very important for controlling your building’s electrical costs. An ideal assessment should also include a recommendation as to how many EV chargers can be installed before an energy management system will be required. There are many emerging systems including some specifically tailored for charging systems in multi-unit family buildings. These allow us to control cost, protect your site and maximize the available electrical capacity. An adequate load management system may prevent having to look at a costly service upgrade to buildings.

  Our 3 methods of Load management

 Static Load management

Static load management evenly distributes a charging power preset for all charging stations across several connected vehicles, no matter how many of the individual EV’s are charging. Every charge station is allocated the same charging power within the maximum set threshold.

 Scheduled Load management

In this method, the available charging power is divided up according to different times of the day. This allows you to take advantage of time of use tariffs and allocated more supply at times when the site supply is more readily available.

Dynamic Load Management

With Dynamic Load management, we do not require pre-set thresholds to regulate the load. This more advanced method will automatically set thresholds based on the buildings fluctuating demand. If the consumption in the building increases, then power to the chargers will automatically decrease. If consumption decreases in the building, then power to the chargers automatically increases. This is fully automated for you, ensuring the chargers always receive the maximum power available, whilst protecting your buildings electrical infrastructure.

How can energy audits help buildings prepare for ‘EV Readiness’?

One of the most common restricting factors for incorporating an EV charging system is the available power to the building. Sometimes even with an adequate Load management system, your building simply may not have enough spare capacity to facilitate a suitable EV charging system. So what can we do?

This is where we must take a look at your building as a whole. As we all work together toward improving the efficiency of our buildings and working toward net-zero energy buildings. This could prove to be an ideal time to conduct an energy study in accordance with ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning engineers) With an energy study it will allow us to clarify how much capacity your building has at the moment, outlines potential energy-saving actions that are possible and provides a financial analysis. By recognizing opportunities to improve the efficiency of your buildings, this in return may allow us to free up electrical capacity to facilitate an EV charging system. However, sometimes the only solution is to increase the service size. In these cases, we can work with you to come up with a design to future proof your building, and incorporate your future sustainability goals.

For anybody reading this who could not attend the event, one of the services we provide is lunch and learns for your business. If you would like to find out more about this feel free to get in contact with us to arrange a session.