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00:00 – Once the appropriate charging solution for the building has been determined, an individual or global approach can be adopted regarding the installation of the electrical components [for electric vehicle charging installations].

00:17 – Although these approaches are suitable for all power supply options, let’s use the charge controller as an example.

00:29 – The Individual Approach

00:31 – This method consists of installing a charging station and the necessary electrical components only when such a request is made by a tenant.

00:38 – When this approach is prioritized, it is important to have a charging policy adopted beforehand by a general meeting. This document standardizes installations and ensures that all tenants will have access to a charging station when desired, notwithstanding when the request is made.

00:57 – In order to ensure that installations are carried out in a manner that respects the integrity of the building, we recommend that you choose the same electrical contractor to carry out all work related to the charging of electric vehicles. The contractor will thereby make sure that any work completed does not interfere with future installations.

01:17 – The Global Approach

01:18 – This method consists in installing certain electrical components, at the same time, for all units that have access to a private parking space. It is possible to set up the required components in entirety or in part.

01:34 –If the partial option is chosen, tenants can individually have the remaining required components installed when they purchase an electric vehicle, namely the electronic component pertaining to the charge controller model, followed by the piping, wiring and finally the charging station.

01:54 – A global approach brings favourable installation pricing made possible by the grouping of certain costs. It also allows for the harmonious installation of all the components required to recharge electric vehicles within the condominium.

02:09 – The preferred approach depends on the size of the building and its technical setting, as well as the operation of the condominium. If in doubt, we recommend consulting the tenants through a survey before convening a general meeting. All the relevant information will therefore be available to help you make an informed decision.

Resources, Templates, and Guidance

Survey

Here are some sample surveys to use to assess general interest in installing charging stations:
– Sample Survey for Accessible Electrical Meters
– Sample Survey for Inaccessible and Accessible Electrical Meters

EV Charging Policy

If the individual approach is chosen, an EV charging policy must be implemented to standardize the installations. Here are examples of charging policies:
Example charging policy for Accessible Meters (the use of a charge controller or EVEMS)
Example charging policy for Inaccessible and Accessible Meters (the combination of an charge controller or EVEMS and additions to infrastructure)

Grouped Installation

When the Individual Approach or the Partial Global Approach is chosen its possible to group installations together. Here is an example of an announcement that can be shared with the tenants to communicate that an installation group is organized and an example of a form that can be used to centralize information for interested parties.

Selecting an Electrical Contractor

If the individual approach is selected, choosing one electrical contractor for all work will help ensure that the installations are carried out in a way that respects the integrity of the building. To do this, it is possible to launch a call for proposals.

It is easier to make an informed choice when faced with several proposals when they contain comparable information. It is therefore important to provide the contractors from whom you wish to obtain prices with a detailed list of the work to be carried out so that they can provide you with standardized information. Here is an example proposal for accessible meters.

Installation Strategy

If the global approach is chosen a vote may be needed to approve the necessary budgets at a general meeting. Here is an example of an installation strategy which proposes scenarios to install the components in a global and partial global way for terminals supplied from recharging controllers for electric vehicles. [French Only]

Frequently Asked Questions

01 — We have several levels of indoor parking. What approach is best to take?

When the complex has indoor parking spaces located on several floors, drilling is generally required to pass the wiring if the electrical room is not at the same level as the parking space where the charger will be installed. For these scenarios we recommend scanning the concrete before authorizing any drilling. It’s possible to adopt the individual approach or the global approach when scanning and drilling.

Individual Approach
The individual approach will require that the tenant seeks to install a EV charger will cover all the costs associated with scanning the slab and drilling it.

Global Approach
With the global approach, as the work involves two stages, it’s possible for the board to take charge of the scanning and drilling work in part or in full. It is possible to support only the concrete scanning step in order to strategically plan the drilling areas. Subsequently, a tenant who wants to install a charger will have to the drilling, at their expense, in one of the areas indicated. In addition to the scanning step, it is also possible to take care of the drilling. At that time, the board drilled holes in strategic places will need a  sufficiently large diameter so that all cabling required would eventually pass. Using this approach minimizes installation costs and ensures harmony in the path for the conduits.