Calgreen EV Charging for Multifamily Buildings

CalGreen EV Charging for Multifamily Buildings

Until recently, CalGreen EV charging for multifamily buildings has been extremely costly and complex. At the heart of the problem is the CalGreen Code’s requirement for forty percent of the parking spaces to be “EV Ready”! Those who are familiar with the 2022 code may be thinking that this is a misprint. However, on July 1, 2024 the Building Standards Commission issued an Intervening Supplement which increased this number to a whopping forty percent.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) READY SPACE. [HCD] A vehicle space which is provided with a branch circuit; any necessary raceways, both underground and/or surface mounted; to accommodate EV charging, terminating in a receptacle or a charger.

The term “EV Ready” seems to clouded in never-ending confusion.

I’ve been working with this code going on two years now and the EV charging requirements still confuse me. And make no mistake – your local building department is as confused as everybody else is. The EV charging sections of the CalGreen Code are poorly written, due in fact to the complete lack of over-sight outside of the California Energy Commission (don’t get me started…).  

The problem with the EV Ready requirements lay in meeting the code with the currently available technology. Up until now these projects have been left with a dilemma. To follow the code in its basic form, a building owner would have to put in one EV plug-in receptacle for every four apartments, condo’s, or hotel rooms.

However, a basic receptacle is simply a unsecured plug. It has no ability to control access, no ability to monitor power usage, and no ability to be able to charge users for the power they consume. Also, there is nothing stopping someone that doesn’t live on the property from pulling in, and plugging in, for free power. 

No building owner can afford to a pay for free power for EV charging. While the number of EV’s may be relatively small now, the numbers will grow exponentially in the near future.

While a low power EV charging receptacle is an inexpensive device, the logistics of installation and metering can quickly make these devices a very expensive option.

Currently, the only practical solution for building owners has been to provide electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) for each EV Ready spot. “EVSE” is an EV charger, typically pole mounted, with a plug-in cord. The cost for this equipment alone (not the power service to it) is between five to ten thousand dollars each.  In addition, these devices also become a long term maintenance headache for the property owner as cords get damaged, LED access screens have issues, and hardware and software glitches are common. These systems are expensive to install and expensive to maintain for the life of the building.

To put this issue into perspective lets look at a 100 unit hotel or apartment complex. These projects would require a minimum of forty low power EV charging receptacles in order to meet the current code. Since we’ve already determined there is no way to install a simple low power receptacle, the projects will end up installing a minimum of forty EV charger systems (EVSE). At an an average installed cost in California of $7500, the total cost of just the EV chargers (not the infrastructure) would be $300,000! In addition, these projects are now stuck with maintaining these complex systems for the life of the hotel or apartment complex. For the building owner this increases the project’s construction cost by $3000 per room. To be clear, this number does not include the electrical infrastructure to support this system which will likely add another $200,000 or more. 

The cost of the new code requirements is so significant it is likely to reduce hotel and apartment complex development n the state.

Now, a company called Plugzio, has come up with what may be the holy grail of multifamily EV charging solutions. And, no, I don’t think I’m exaggerating.

The Problems with Low Power EV Charging Receptacles

The problem with the CalGreen Code’s requirements for low power EV charging receptacles in new multifamily buildings are many.

This first challenge is where to locate them? The code requires the quantity of receptacles, but makes no mention of where they are to be located. Do you pick 40% of your units arbitrarily and run dedicated electrical conduits to their assigned parking spaces? This will allow the tenant to pay for their own power, assuming they are on a dedicated meter. Yet the cost and complexity of routing conduit and cable may not be feasible.

Another scenario would be a tenant that rents a unit with the EV charger, but does not have an electric vehicle. Now the EV charge station will sit unused (and not generating income for the property manager).

You cannot place a 240 volt receptacle in a public parking area without some protection against unauthorized use. Do you put key or combination lock on the receptacles? If so, you have introduced another issue of key management and lock maintenance. 

The reality is that there has been no way to install a simple EV charging receptacle for a new multifamily project. The only practical solution to meet the code requirement is to install a complex and very expensive EV charger system. This requires a dedicated power distribution system for the site. Then, routing conduits from the site’s main service board to standalone chargers located throughout the parking area. These charges need to have internet access, LED screens for access control, and a cable with plug for connection to the vehicle.

The dedicated power distribution system can drive the cost per charger as high as $20,000 or more. These costs may not be recoverable by the property owner for many, many years, if ever. Recent studies suggest that on average 30% of EV chargers are out of service at any one time. The ongoing operation and maintenance costs are not insignificant.   

For clarity, lets summarize the problems with installing Low Power EV Charging Receptacles in multifamily buildings:

• Location – how or where do you locate a receptable in relation to the tenant’s unit that has an EV vehicle? In many cases (multi-story for one), locating a charging receptacle for a specific tenant is problematic. 
• Access Control – how do you control access to an EV receptacle so that only the assigned tenant can access it? Adding locking covers can turn into a management nightmare as lost keys, broken locks, and other issues will be ongoing problems for the property manager. 
• Metering Power Usage and Billing Tenant – there are two ways to meter power for an EV receptacle in order to bill the tenant. One is to simply feed the power from the tenant’s unit and have their unit on a separate meter. Then the tenant can pay for the EV charging usage as part of their utility bill. However, this will not work in many multifamily buildings as the cost and physical challenges to run conduit and cable will be prohibitive. The other option is to provide a separately metered power service to each tenant receptacle. The cost and complexity of doing this for dozens or hundreds of separate meters may make this unrealistic.    

There is seemingly no way to use an inexpensive, low power, EV receptacle in most new multifamily buildings. Or is there?

The Holy Grail of Multifamily EV Charging?

A company called Plugzio has a nearly unique (one competitor as of this article) that seems a perfect fit to meet the CalGreen EV charging for multifamily building requirements. 

Imagine a low power EV charging receptacle that provided access control and also allowed the property manager to monitor the receptacle’s energy usage, and billing.

But wait, there’s more!

What if the billing system also allowed the property manager to set and adjust the cost of power to the tenant?

Yet the real challenge is can such a product be purchased and installed without dedicated circuits or direct connection to a tenant’s unit?

Lastly, the perfect product would do all of the above for a fraction of the cost of EV Service equipment.

This product would be the HOLY GRAIL for meeting California’s Green Building Standards Code for multifamily buildings.

Well, the holy grail is here. It has been created by a Canadian company that had the vision to address this specific issue in the CalGreen Code. The device is called the Plugzio Universal. A rather simple name for a device that creates a paradigm shift in meeting California’s problematic low power EV charging requirements.

The Plugzio Universal

This innocuous green box houses the simple technology to address all of the concerns with low power EV chargers that are required by the CalGreen Code.

So, what is it and how does it work?

The small green box gets installed inline to a standard low power EV charging receptacle of your choice.

In this configuration there is no power supplied to the receptacle until the user access the system via the QR code printed on the face of the box. The user installs a simple application on their cell phone which connects wirelessly to the Plugzio Power Management System. Once connected, the user activates the receptacle.

They can then use the charging cable that came with their EV vehicle to begin charging. Once the vehicle is fully charged the system will then deactivate the power to the receptacle. 

The Power Management System is controlled by the property manager. They have the option of assigning specific charging stations to individual tenants, or simply allow any tenant to log into any station via their own app and the QR code. The property manager may also assign specific chargers for specific uses or personnel. 

The property manager also has full control of cost per kilowatt hour that they charge the tenants. Different rates can be assigned to individual tenants.

Rates can be easily changed to respond to changes in the cost of utility power, or other needs. The property manager get to choose the amount of profit they want to make on the system.

There may be times when offering free EV charging for some period can be used to entice prospective new tenants. The simple system allows for a lot of flexibility for the property owner. 

You can see a complete review of the Power Management System here.

So let’s review how this system stacks up to the previously identified challenges with low power EV charging receptacles.

Location – Location becomes a non-issue as there is no need to locate a specific receptacle for a specific tenant. Further, there is no need to create dedicated power circuit for individual receptacles. 

Access Control – Access control ceases to be an issue as the receptacle is unpowered until an authorized tenant logs on via the QR code on the face of the box. There is no need for a locking cover on the receptacle.

Metering Power Usage and Billing Tenant – The Power Management System is controlled by the property manager who can also assign billing rates. Power usage and other data from the system is instantly available to the property manager via the online portal. They also have full control and monitoring over the system with a simple, easy to use application.  

It is designed to be installed in-line with an outlet or electric vehicle charger supporting 120/208/240V and up to 20A.

The Plugzio Universal Specifications

Let’s review the hard data for the unit.

Cost per unit – approximately $500

Box dimensions – 6.3″ x 6.3″ x 2.4″ deep

Weight – 1.35 lbs

Operating Temperatures – -40 Deg. F. to + 104 Deg. F.

Electrical Ratings – 120/208/240 volt, 20 amp

Enclosure Type – NEMA 4X Non-metallic

Standards – UL 508 & CSA 22.2 No. 14

Connectivity – WiFi Models – 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz / LTE Model – LTE Cat M1 

Summary

My research has located only one other device that is somewhat similar to the Plugzio unit. That company is called Orange. I have not had time to research their product offering but you can learn about it here. 

There is no doubt that the Plugzio device can solve most of the problems of the CalGreen EV charging for multifamily building requirements. And it can do it for far less cost and complexity than previously available systems. 

Plugzio has created a video that fully explains the challenges with the basic low power EV charging receptacle and it’s application in multifamily buildings. It is comprehensive and worth watching if you would like more information on the subject. You can watch it here. 

Please note that I am not affiliated with Plugzio and have no more information than what is presented here. If you would like to learn more about this product please contact their factory representative, Tyler Levine at (561-329-0880) or email to: tyler@plugzio.com

For more information on the CalGreen Code’s EV charging requirements, see our informative article here:

2022 CalGreen Code EV Charging Requirements

Gary Welch

Email: gary@calgreenenergyservices.com

Phone: 707-328-5299