What Makes an EV-Ready Building?

An EV-ready building has the infrastructure needed to install EV charging in parking spaces.

As electric vehicles continue gaining popularity in Australia, more visitors and residents will seek convenient EV charging options. Many existing commercial and multi-unit buildings in Australia are not EV-ready and need electrical upgrades to support EV charging.

Under NCC 2022, many new Class 2 to 9 buildings require EV charging pre-provisioning in associated carparks. This generally relates to electrical infrastructure and demand management, not necessarily installing EV chargers from day one.

Here’s what you need to know to make sure your new construction or existing buildings are EV-ready, compliant, and future-proof.

Key Summary

An EV-ready building has the electrical capacity, switchboard space, cabling pathways, isolation points, load management, signage and billing systems needed to support EV charger installation in parking spaces. For strata and commercial buildings, EV readiness also involves approvals, cost recovery, resident or tenant demand planning, safety controls and future expansion planning.

What Makes an EV-Ready Building?

‘EV Ready’ refers to buildings with infrastructure that makes it easy for EV charging to be installed in parking spaces. This makes it easier for residents, tenants or building users to access EV charging when they need it.

For multi-unit buildings, EV charging infrastructure typically includes:

• Cabling
• Electrical panel space and panel capacity
• Isolation points
• A load management system
• Billing management
• Distribution boards

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Steps to Make Your Building EV Ready

Getting a building EV-ready is an extensive process involving research, adherence to infrastructure guidelines, and transparent communication.

We know this can be overwhelming, so we simplified the steps to making your building EV-ready.

Engage the Right Groups

Engage with key groups, such as the strata committee or manager, property owner, tenants, and consultants.

Together, decisions can be made about the planning process, installation, financing, and commissioning.

Determine EV Charging Demand and Suitability

Work with the strata manager to survey all residents and property owners to determine interest, demand, and requirements for EV charging in your building.

Then, schedule a site assessment with a licensed electrical contractor, such as EV Charging Systems.

An EV charging specialist like EV Charging Systems can inspect your building’s electrical infrastructure and parking facilities to determine:

• If the car park is suitable for EV charging
• If the electrical infrastructure and parking facilities pass inspection
• A detailed history of energy use patterns and peak loads
• The best setup for meeting the EV charging needs of the building’s residents or visitors
• A quote for installing the EV charging equipment

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Research Funding and Cost Recovery Options

Installing EV infrastructure during construction can result in significant savings compared to retrofitting. Still, it is a large up-front investment and requires a clear budget and discussions regarding cost recovery options.

Key financial research to complete includes:

• Are there any state or local utility rebate programs or initiatives that go toward EV service equipment?
• Will users pay via higher strata fees, user-pay subscriptions, or per-use billing?

Communicate

Throughout the process, keep a clear line of communication with all strata managers, residents, and owners.

Keep everyone informed of the chosen supplier, installation dates, inspection dates, and any important information.

Meet Guidelines

As EV adoption grows, EV-ready building regulations in Australia vary by council, building type, and state.

Be sure to stay up to date on all new EV charging readiness requirements. These guidelines regulate important EV infrastructure factors, such as switchboard space, number of charging points, and electrical capacity.

For more information on EV infrastructure guidelines, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) recommends the following measures to support safer EV charging:

• Master isolation: Provide a clearly signed master isolation switch near the fire indicator panel, FDCIE or building entrance.
• RCM Tick compliance: Use EV chargers that carry the Regulatory Compliance Mark to confirm Australian electrical compliance.
• Emergency services information pack: Prepare and provide site-specific EV charging information packs for first responders.
• Break glass fire alarm: Install an additional break glass alarm unit where appropriate.
• Placarding site: Use clear signage to identify each EV charging point.
• Collision protection: Install bollards or wheel stops to protect chargers from vehicle impact.
• Block plans: Update or create block plans showing EV charging hub locations and master isolation points.
• AS/NZS 3000 Appendix P compliance: Ensure Mode 3 and Mode 4 chargers are installed by qualified people in line with AS/NZS 3000 Appendix P.
• Evacuation and flammable risk proximity: Assess charger locations carefully so they do not block evacuation routes or sit too close to flammable risks.
• Regular maintenance: Make sure the charging unit owner understands and meets ongoing maintenance requirements.
• Complex buildings: Seek specialist fire safety advice for complex buildings or higher-risk environments.
• Directional signage: Provide signage directing people to both EV charging units and emergency exits.
• Smart charging: Prioritise smart chargers where possible so power can be remotely monitored or disconnected during faults or emergencies.
• Placarding at site entrance: For sites with 5 or more Mode 3 or 4 chargers, install entrance-level placards showing the closest entry point to the EV charging hub.
• Pre-incident plans: Where 5 or more chargers are installed, invite local fire crews for a site familiarisation visit to help develop a pre-incident plan.

Source: Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB EV) Guidance Document

Spread the Word

Once installation is completed, be sure to let residents and visitors know how, where, and when to charge.

Install clear signage in the parking area to promote awareness and encourage EV charger use.

EV-Ready Building Considerations for Building Owners Corporations

Owners’ corporations are seeing increased demand from residents for EV charging options. However, navigating the complex guidelines or modifying electrical infrastructure can be extremely challenging.

For more information on planning EV charging infrastructure, NSW Climate and Energy Action outlines “The 5 steps to EV readiness” to help commercial and strata buildings become EV ready:

1. Survey: Carry out a stakeholder survey to understand EV charging demand, resident or tenant expectations, and the level of supporting infrastructure required.
2. Building energy assessment: Assess the building’s electrical capacity, peak loads, energy usage patterns, switchboards, wiring and opportunities to reduce load before installing EV chargers.
3. Evaluate approach and use: Choose the right charging approach based on how long vehicles are parked, whether users need a full charge or top-up, and whether charging will support residents, tenants, visitors or fleet vehicles.
4. Evaluate payment options: Decide how charging will be paid for, whether through no-fee access, a flat fee, existing tenant metering, kWh-based billing or a third-party turnkey provider.
5. Build the business case: Consider upfront costs, ongoing running costs, maintenance, energy use, billing, potential electrical upgrades, tenant benefits, property value, sustainability outcomes and long-term demand.

Source: NSW Climate and Energy Action, Making your commercial building EV ready.

Along with covering “5 steps to EV readiness”, this in-depth guide provides a detailed toolkit for owners’ corporations: Building owners’ corporation toolkit for installing EV chargers.

EV-Ready Building Considerations for Strata Owners and Residents

Under NCC 2022, new Class 2 apartment buildings with associated carparks generally need EV charging pre-provisioning so future EV charger installation is easier. This does not mean chargers must be installed in every parking bay from day one.

Some councils and planning authorities may also apply EV-ready requirements or expectations through development approvals, planning policies or local conditions.

For existing strata buildings, changes to electrical infrastructure often need to be approved by the owners’ corporation.

Installing EV charging in strata buildings is more complicated than home EV charging installation.

For more information on EV charging in strata buildings, Energy.gov.au outlines the following considerations for owners’ corporations, residents and tenants:

• Permission and approvals: Residents in apartments or shared buildings may need approval from the managing strata body before installing EV charging infrastructure.
• Owners’ corporation involvement: Owners’ corporations may need to assess applications, organise installation, approve infrastructure changes and manage charger connections.
• Resident demand: Buildings should assess current and future EV charging needs before deciding on the right infrastructure approach.
• Electrical capacity: A qualified electrician, EV charging expert or consultant should assess the building’s power supply, peak loads and existing electrical infrastructure.
• EV-ready status: Buildings may be considered EV ready, EV capable or insufficient, depending on whether existing infrastructure can support EV chargers.
• Carpark layout: Charger planning should consider parking design, existing electrical infrastructure, communal areas, private spaces and stacked parking.
• Charger type: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 chargers have different costs, charging speeds and infrastructure requirements.
• Load management: Buildings may need load management systems to prevent EV chargers from overloading the building’s electrical supply.
• Cost recovery: Owners’ corporations should decide how installation, maintenance and electricity usage costs will be recovered.
• Billing options: Charging costs may be managed through common-area electricity accounts, submeters, individual meters or pay-as-you-go software.
• Strata laws: Approval requirements vary by state and territory, so owners and residents should check local strata legislation before proceeding.
• Professional installation: EV chargers should be installed by suitably qualified and licensed electrical contractors to ensure safe and compliant installation.

Source: Energy.gov.au, Charging options for houses and strata buildings.

EV-Ready vs EV-Capable Buildings

Not every building that can support EV charging is fully EV-ready. Energy.gov.au separates buildings into three broad categories: EV ready, EV capable and insufficient. This distinction is useful for strata buildings, commercial properties and multi-unit developments because it helps owners understand whether chargers can be installed now or whether electrical upgrades are needed first.

This is why an EV site assessment is important. A building may appear suitable because it has parking and available switchboard space, but it still needs a qualified assessment to confirm electrical capacity, wiring requirements, load management needs, approval pathways and installation costs.

Source: Energy.gov.au, Installing a personal EV charger for strata building residents.

Benefits of an EV-Ready Building

Key benefits of an EV-ready building include:

• Lower Future Retrofit Costs: Planning EV infrastructure during construction or major upgrades can reduce the cost and complexity of adding chargers later.
• Increased Property Value: Buildings equipped with EV charging infrastructure may become more attractive to residents, tenants and future buyers, especially as EV adoption increases.
• Alignment with Sustainability Goals: Supporting EV charging with EV-ready buildings directly supports sustainability goals.
• Future-Proofing: As EV adoption increases across Australia, buildings with EV-ready infrastructure may be better placed to meet future resident, tenant and visitor expectations.
• New Revenue Streams: Offering user-pays charging systems can open up new revenue streams for building managers or owners’ corporations.

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How EVCS Can Help

EV-ready buildings are future-proof, convenient for residents, and prevent the need for costly infrastructure retrofitting.

Our team at EV Charging Systems offers EV charger installation Australia-wide, including for commercial and strata applications. We also provide system commissioning (final sign off) and dynamic load management for EV chargers.

With extensive experience, including the WALGA ARENA project, we’re proud to lead the way in EV charging infrastructure.

Contact us to book your site assessment and we’ll evaluate your building’s infrastructure, car park layout, and energy needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a building EV-ready?

An EV-ready building has the electrical capacity, switchboard space, cabling pathways, safety controls, load management and billing systems needed to support EV charger installation.

Is EV-ready the same as having EV chargers installed?

No. EV-ready means the building has the infrastructure needed to support EV charger installation. Chargers may still need to be installed, commissioned and managed.

What is the difference between EV-ready and EV-capable?

An EV-ready building has enough infrastructure to support EV chargers, while an EV-capable building may have enough electrical capacity but still needs wiring or infrastructure upgrades.

Do strata buildings need approval for EV charging?

In most cases, changes to electrical infrastructure or common property in strata buildings need approval from the owners’ corporation or strata body.

Why is load management important for EV-ready buildings?

Load management helps control electricity demand so multiple EV chargers can operate without overloading the building’s electrical supply.