10 essential steps to adding charging infrastructure to your public or commercial building


As the shift to e-mobility gains momentum worldwide, governments are introducing mandates to support this transition. In an ever-growing number of countries, legislation requires the installation of a minimum number of EV charging points in the parking lots and garages of not only new but also existing public and commercial buildings.
By addressing these challenges head-on, property owners can ensure a smooth, compliant, and efficient installation process.
The challenges of retrofitting charging infrastructure
Retrofitting EV charging infrastructure in an existing building often reveals a host of unique challenges, including:
1. Physical space
Older buildings were not designed to accommodate EV chargers, making it difficult to install the necessary wiring, charging points, and conduit pathways. Ensuring optimal placement without disrupting existing parking spaces is key.
2. Grid capacity
Most older properties lack the electrical capacity to support multiple charging stations. Without careful energy management, substantial upgrades to electrical capacity may become necessary, escalating project costs.
3. Financial considerations
The cost of procuring and installing charging infrastructure, along with ongoing maintenance and energy management, can strain budgets. Identifying funding opportunities, such as government grants, is also essential.
4. Compliance with regulations
Adhering to fire safety codes, local building requirements, and accessibility laws can be complex but is non-negotiable.
By addressing these challenges head-on, property owners can ensure a smooth, compliant, and efficient installation process.
A practical guide to retrofitting EV charging infrastructure
- Assess space and determine requirements
- Ensure compliance with local codes
- Plan for energy management
- Consider accessibility
- Optimize visibility and lighting
- Select the right chargers for your building
- Integrate charging management software
- Explore funding opportunities
- Plan for reliable installation, maintenance, and repairs
- Future-proof your infrastructure
1. Assess space and determine requirements
Evaluate your building’s parking area to identify the most practical locations for chargers. Account for the number of charging points required by legislation and consider user demand. Optimize placement for accessibility without disrupting parking flow.
Prioritize locations near existing electrical panels to reduce installation costs, and consider areas that are easy to expand in the future. For example, designate spaces that can accommodate both fast chargers for visitors and slower chargers for long-term users like employees or residents.
Collaborating with a professional installer can provide valuable insights on optimal placement, compliance requirements, and cost-saving opportunities. Their expertise can ensure the project runs smoothly and is tailored to your specific property needs.
2. Ensure compliance with local codes
Evaluate your building’s parking area to identify the most practical locations for chargers. Account for the number of charging points required by legislation and consider user demand. Optimize placement for accessibility without disrupting parking flow.
Prioritize locations near existing electrical panels to reduce installation costs, and consider areas that are easy to expand in the future. For example, designate spaces that can accommodate both fast chargers for visitors and slower chargers for long-term users like employees or residents.
Collaborating with a professional installer can provide valuable insights on optimal placement, compliance requirements, and cost-saving opportunities. Their expertise can ensure the project runs smoothly and is tailored to your specific property needs.
3. Plan for energy management
Charging an EV requires a lot of energy, in fact, up to five times more than the daily consumption of an average household. So, when several chargers are charging at your building, the risk of a power outage is a real possibility, especially during high-demand times when both the building and EVs compete for electricity.
Sophisticated smart charging solutions such as Smappee have dynamic overload protection which relies on sophisticated data exchange systems that are automated and integrated with AI to ensure the most economical, timeous, driver-oriented, and infrastructure-friendly solution.
It protects your building from tripping and can reduce charging infrastructure investment by as much as 25%. It also allows for the integration and optimization of solar charging, and manage energy use around the times with the lowest energy rates, providing an efficient and eco-friendly approach to managing high energy demands.
4. Consider accessibility
Ensure that your selected charging solution and installation meet accessibility laws and cater to users with disabilities. Local accessibility experts can help with advice on the proper signage and design needed to ensure inclusivity, providing an optimal experience for all users.
5. Optimize visibility and lighting
Place chargers in well-lit, clearly visible locations to enhance user safety and convenience. This also demonstrates a commitment to providing accessible, high-quality services.
6. Select the right chargers for your building
Choose chargers based on user needs — fast chargers (DC) for high-turnover areas, such as in retail parking lots, or slower chargers (AC) for extended parking durations, like at office buildings or public spaces such as government buildings or hospitals. While upfront costs are a key consideration, it’s even more important to evaluate the lifetime cost of the entire charging infrastructure. Smart charging solutions, such as Smappee, that are built around advanced energy intelligence, might seem more costly at the outset but result in significantly lower operational costs over time due to cost-saving features like solar optimization, tapping into flexible rates, and over-the-air updates.
7. Integrate charging management software
Invest in software that provides seamless charging management for property owners and users alike. The Smappee Dashboard enables real-time monitoring, energy optimization, and streamlined user access control.
Smappee’s charging management platform handles every aspect of electric charging, empowering you with full control. Monitor and steer your charging infrastructure remotely in real-time, track energy consumption costs, set priority charging, and reimburse employees for home charging sessions. You can even open your chargers to the public. And the beauty is that you can oversee everything effortlessly from your office desk.
8. Explore funding opportunities
Many governments offer financial support to encourage sustainable initiatives. Investigate grants, subsidies, or tax incentives available in your region to offset installation costs.
9. Plan for reliable installation, maintenance, and repairs
Installing charging infrastructure in existing commercial or public buildings requires reliability and expertise. You want great professionals on your side, so look for suppliers of charging infrastructure who truly understand the importance of a well-executed installation. Smappee, for instance, invests a lot of resources in the Smappee Academy to train its installers and partners – when a Smappee Certified Installer is managing your installation, you can rest assured it will be a job well done. Smappee also offers over-the-air updates, ensuring maintenance is hassle-free and your infrastructure remains current with the latest innovations. Regular maintenance is essential to keep chargers operational and compliant over time.
10. Future-proof your infrastructure
Plan for scalability by selecting solutions that can grow alongside demand. Smappee’s flexible energy management technology allows you to expand your charging network as EV adoption increases, ensuring long-term viability.
Conclusion
Retrofitting EV charging infrastructure may seem daunting, but also an achievable and rewarding investment. By following these 10 steps, you can address key challenges, meet regulatory requirements, and set your building up for future success.
Smappee offers advanced smart energy management and a full range of smart charging solutions and services, including highly trained Smappee Certified Installers, to make retrofitting infrastructure simpler and more efficient.
Ready to take the first step?
Discover how Smappee can help you transform your building with smart EV charging solutions. Learn more or contact us for a consultation today.
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