What do you need to consider in your EV Strata By-law?

EV by-law’s prepared by our team permits all owners to install electric vehicle chargers in their car spaces or garages and connect those chargers by cabling leading to the switchboard.

However, there are a number of matters an owners corporation needs to consider when adopting the by-law and permitting owners to install electric vehicle chargers.

Seven EV By-law Considerations

1. Is there sufficient room on the switchboard for additional circuit breakers to be installed for each electric vehicle charger installed by an owner?
2. Is the existing electrical infrastructure on common property sufficient to handle the additional loads generated by electrical vehicle chargers when they charge EVs? If not, who will be liable to pay for the upgrade of that infrastructure?
3. Is it possible for electric vehicle chargers to be separately metered and charged to the owner’s account instead of the owners corporation paying for the electricity that is used by the EV chargers?
4. Do the EV chargers and their use create any risks to the health and safety of other residents?
5. Are there sufficient cable trays in place in the garage or other areas to accommodate the cabling that will need to be run between electric vehicle chargers in lot owners’ garages and the switchboard.
6. Will the electric vehicle chargers be compatible with any load management system in place and the electrical infrastructure that exists in the building?
7. Is it possible for limitations to be placed on the loads drawn by electric vehicle chargers, for example, to limit electric vehicle chargers to single phase chargers drawing no more than 10amps power?

JS Mueller & Co Lawyers EV by-laws deal with some of these considerations and often is tailored to deal with most of them.