New Approach to EV in Strata

Over the two years or so since we last wrote about Electric Vehicle (EV) charging in strata, technology, across batteries, chargers and electrical backbone solutions has continued to evolve. With more products on the market, competition is also helping to bring down the average cost of installation.

After many months of market and product review, Active has determined a solution across EV charging, EV carshare, EV backbone, and e-mobility (bikes and scooters) charging that is adaptable and, more importantly, more affordable in existing strata buildings.

EV car share

A wonderful solution for buildings that want to offer their residents a little “something extra” to help to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack.

Partnering with OhmieGo, the Active EV car share solution provides residents in the building with a vehicle that they can use at any time. Using the simple app to book the vehicle, residents can take the hassle out of short-term car hire. Parked in a dedicated bay in the car park, with dedicated charging stations, the management of the solution is all by Active, with no impact on the building management.

EV charger share

A simple solution for buildings with insufficient EV ownership to warrant a full EV Charging backbone, our shared charger solution can be installed in dedicated spaces throughout the car park. Again, simple pay as you go options through the app make this communal approach to charging quick and easy. These solutions come in multiple charging sizes from speedy 11kW or 22kW right up to high-speed DC charging. Every solution is tailored to meet the needs of the building’s residents and to fit within the infrastructure constraints.

EV individual charging

One of the bigger challenges facing strata in the energy transition is retrofitting an existing building with the electrical infrastructure needed to supply power to every car space. Once a manager works through all of the issues attached to insurance, fire and emergency, structural and construction assessments, by-laws, and electrical capacity, buildings are then faced with the financial challenge of installing EV Distribution Boards (DB’s), cable trays, and load management systems, all before the actual charger itself is installed.

Then there is managing the resident’s expectations of the size of the charger that they think they need. Research shows that people in the purchase and early ownership stage of an EV vehicle often have a large gap between what they think that they need in terms of EV charging and what they actually need. This is often referred to as range anxiety.

For most situations, lower cost and lower electricity consuming chargers will meet the need. The chart below gives an idea on how long each type of charger may take to charge.

The Active approach is to base our charging solution on a 7-kW charging solution for residents, noting that cars are parked overnight so have a longer charge period available to them. These units are also single-phase units and require less electrical infrastructure than larger units which may require 3-phase power supplies.

Our flexible approach can deliver 2 options for buildings. Our standard EV Backbone, which is NCC Compliant, includes EV DB’s, load management, and works in sites with available trays or other options to carry cabling.

Our EV Backbone Plus solution includes the basic elements of our standard solution and adds cable trays and cabling throughout the car park.

These backbone solutions are a cost to the strata and then the installation of the charger is at a cost to the resident.

E-mobility (light EV charging) solutions

Safely managed solutions for the charging of e-bikes and e-scooters are increasingly important in strata buildings. Our e-mobility solution consists of a charging bar mounted to a wall where a resident can plug in their charger. Designed for flexibility, the solution is modular and can be added to as the need increases. Requiring only a 10-amp supply, the installation needs nothing more than a standard outlet to operate. Charing is managed by the same, single, app that drives the car share and other charging solutions.

Active are happy to discuss energy solutions with you. To get in touch, email us at sales@activeutilities.com.au.