Commercial EV Charging Stations: What to Coordinate Before Installation
Electric-vehicle charging stations are becoming an increasingly important feature for commercial properties. Office buildings, retail centers, hotels, restaurants, multifamily developments, parking structures, and industrial facilities may all benefit from providing convenient charging access.
However, installing commercial EV chargers involves more than purchasing equipment and selecting parking spaces. The project can affect the building’s electrical service, utility coordination, parking layout, structural systems, accessibility requirements, drainage, lighting, and future operating costs.
Evaluating these issues before construction helps owners develop a practical charging strategy and avoid expensive changes after equipment has been ordered.
Begin With the Property’s Charging Goals
The design team should first understand how the charging stations will be used.
A workplace may expect vehicles to remain parked for several hours, making Level 2 chargers suitable for many users. A retail center may prefer faster charging to serve customers during shorter visits. Hotels and multifamily properties may need equipment that can manage overnight demand and assign usage costs to individual drivers.
Important early questions include:
- How many charging spaces are required initially?
- How many additional chargers may be added later?
- How long will vehicles normally remain parked?
- Will the chargers be available to the public, employees, tenants, or fleet vehicles?
- Will users pay for charging?
- Does the owner need monitoring, access control, or energy-management features?
These decisions influence the required electrical capacity, equipment type, communications system, and physical layout.
Confirm the Available Electrical Capacity
Electrical capacity is often the most important technical consideration.
Commercial chargers can introduce a substantial new load. Multiple chargers operating simultaneously may require additional panel capacity, larger feeders, new transformers, switchgear modifications, or an electrical-service upgrade.
An empty breaker position does not necessarily mean that the building can support another major load. The engineer may need to review the service rating, existing demand, panel schedules, transformer capacity, feeder sizes, utility information, and expected charger operation.
Where the existing service has limited capacity, load-management systems may provide an alternative to a complete upgrade. These systems can distribute available power among multiple chargers and reduce charging output when the building’s overall demand is high.
The suitability of this approach depends on the property’s usage pattern, charging expectations, equipment compatibility, and applicable electrical requirements.
Coordinate With the Electric Utility Early
Utility coordination should begin before the charging equipment and installation schedule are finalized.
The utility may need to confirm available service capacity, transformer limitations, metering requirements, required upgrades, and responsibility for associated costs. Some projects may qualify for incentives or specialized electric rates, but eligibility and program availability can vary.
Utility upgrades can also affect the project schedule. Transformers and other electrical equipment may require significant procurement time. Early coordination allows the owner to understand these constraints before promising an installation or opening date.
Select Practical Charger Locations
The closest parking spaces are not always the best locations.
Long conduit and feeder routes can increase installation costs. However, placing every charger directly beside the electrical room may create conflicts with accessible parking, traffic circulation, pedestrian routes, landscaping, loading areas, fire access, or future development.
The design team should evaluate:
- Distance from the electrical source
- Conduit and feeder routing
- Vehicle circulation
- Equipment protection
- Accessible routes and parking requirements
- Drainage and exposure to standing water
- Lighting and security
- Potential vehicle impact
- Future charger expansion
Bollards or other protective elements may be needed where charging equipment is exposed to vehicles. Outdoor equipment should also be suitable for rain, temperature changes, sunlight, and the property’s environmental conditions.
Consider Accessibility During Planning
Accessible EV-charging spaces require more than placing a charger near an existing accessible parking stall.
The layout may need appropriate parking-space dimensions, access aisles, clear floor space, operable equipment locations, mounting heights, and an accessible route to the building or site facilities. Curbs, wheel stops, landscaping, charger cables, and protective bollards should not obstruct the required clear areas.
Because accessibility requirements and local interpretations can vary, the applicable provisions should be confirmed during design rather than after the parking layout has been completed.
Evaluate Structural Support and Equipment Attachment
EV charging can also require structural coordination.
Wall-mounted equipment must be attached to a suitable wall assembly. Pedestal chargers may require concrete foundations or anchorage capable of resisting equipment loads and potential impact. New electrical cabinets, transformers, or switchgear may require housekeeping pads and coordinated clearances.
In parking garages, conduit routing and equipment attachments should be coordinated with the existing structural system. Drilling into post-tensioned concrete, structural beams, or critical reinforcing areas without proper review can cause serious damage.
Where chargers are installed beneath canopies or solar structures, the supporting framing and foundations must accommodate equipment, wind, and environmental loads.
Plan for Future Expansion
Installing only the chargers required today may create unnecessary costs later.
Even when an owner begins with a small number of stations, the design can reserve panel capacity, switchgear space, conduit pathways, equipment-pad area, or communications infrastructure for future expansion.
Future-ready construction does not always mean installing all equipment immediately. It means making informed provisions while walls, ceilings, pavement, and landscaped areas are already accessible.
The design should clearly distinguish between equipment included in the current project and infrastructure reserved for later phases.
Include Communications and Energy Management
Many commercial chargers require network or communications connections for payment processing, user authentication, monitoring, reporting, and load management.
Poor wireless coverage inside a concrete parking structure can affect system operation. The owner should confirm whether the selected equipment relies on cellular service, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or another communications method.
The design team should also coordinate who will manage the charging network, establish user pricing, maintain the equipment, and respond to outages. These operational decisions can influence equipment selection and electrical design.
A Coordinated Design Reduces Installation Problems
Commercial EV charging affects several building systems and should be treated as an engineering project rather than a standalone equipment purchase.
A coordinated design evaluates electrical capacity, utility requirements, equipment locations, accessibility, structural support, protection, communications, and future expansion before construction begins.
This approach helps owners develop a charging system that works with the property today while providing a practical path for future growth.
GDI Engineering provides MEP and structural engineering services for commercial buildings, renovations, tenant improvements, parking facilities, and EV-charging infrastructure in California, Texas, Florida, and other states.
Contact GDI Engineering to discuss your property, available electrical information, proposed charger quantity, and future expansion goals.
