17 Jun EV Charging in Apartments in Australia – Electric Car Charging In Strata Buildings and Considerations For Battery Recharging In Strata Buildings.
There is much talk of electrical vehicle infrastructure for apartment buildings as Electric vehicles (EV’s) increase in popularity. Discussion of EV charging and apartments in Australia often overshadows wider concerns regarding the many electrical appliances which now use lithium-ion batteries which although such batteries are smaller can also be a risk when compared to an apartment EV charger.
Electric Vehicles and EV Charging in Apartments (Australia)
Body corporate electric vehicle charging is not always straightforward and before any consideration can be given to apartment EV charging it requires an assessment to be made of the feasibility of installing charger, as has been discussed in a previous blogs.
An owners corporation may consider installing electric vehicle infrastructure to allow for EV is to be recharged if charging facilities have not been installed in the building for ev charging in apartments. It is important to note that owners cannot connect a charger for electric vehicle to the common area supply without the consent of the owners corporation. If an owner has their parking space adjacent to their apartment or lot, an owner may consider that he or she can have a charging point installed, drawing current from the electric supply to their apartment. There may be insufficient power available to the lot to provide for EV charging, particularly if an owner wishes to install a high-capacity charger. This may require the owner carry an upgrade to the apartment supply to enable the charging station to be installed.
If there is sufficient capacity, there is most likely a need to run cables and these must be installed so as not to create a hazard to any other person at the property. Any proposal for this type of installation requires the consent of the owners corporation to ensure that there is no safety implication, as there may be EV charging building regulations. Any owner wishing to seek consent of the owners corporation for such installation should ensure that the submission properly addresses the safe installation of any cabling. It should also be noted that it is a matter for the owner to provide security of the charger as this is not a matter for the owners corporation.
Other Recharging
In addition to EV charging in strata buildings there are now substantial number of products use lithium-ion rechargeable batteries and suitable precautions must be taken by owners and occupiers of lots.
As a general proposition, only the charger that came with the device should be used to recharge it. The use of generic charges may damage the battery and possibly give rise to the battery and device catching fire which has the potential to cause a further damage if the fire spreads.
Personal devices such as mobile phones, tablets and music players should not be left unattended during charging and if possible, placed on a nonflammable as flammable surfaces such as carpet, timber and soft furnishings may increase the spread of fire if the device or a batteries ignite.
Electric bicycles are of particular significance as these typically have larger batteries than appliances and store a greater amount of energy. In the event of a fire caused by a battery failure, the thermal runaway can be significant, resulting in a more enduring fire. Only the charger supplied with the bicycle should be used and if this is damaged or lost, a replacement should be sought from the manufacturer or the retailer from whom it was purchased.
For all electrical devices the integrity of any supply and cables is important. For devices which use USB-C is preferable that a PD (Power Delivery) charger and a suitable cable are used as these should lessen the possibility of overloading the battery in the device which can lead to a fire when electric car charging in strata buildings (or indeed in any building).
Frayed or damaged cables should not be used and must be replaced if there is any visible damage. If a device causes a circuit breaker to trip, this may indicate the device or the power supply is faulty and it should be disposed of or it is repaired by a suitably qualified person. As some cases there may be a fault in the electrical supply and it may be necessary to have an electrician check the circuit to ensure proper functioning is addressed as there may be not only the risk of fire but also of injury such as electric shock.
Extinguishers
Lithium-ion batteries consist of a large number of individual cells and if one of the cells is damaged or faulty, it can give rise to a fire which can spread to other cells in the battery pack, then to the device and beyond. These cells can generate temperatures up to 600°C and cannot be extinguished by water or standard fire extinguishers. It is necessary to have class B or D fire extinguishers to suppress a lithium-ion battery fire.
For bicycles other appliances stored in storage cages, it must be recognised that the extremely high temperature of a lithium-ion battery fire can easily ignite items stored, not only in the storage cage itself, but in adjacent areas such as storage cages or motor vehicles.
The ability of a lithium-ion battery fire to spread is significant given the extreme temperatures and the fire can easily spread to spread to goods, including cars, in proximity which can then in turn set fire to buildings. Only and approved charger should be used and the device being recharged should be on a fire resistant surface.
Overall, while EV charging apartments are not yet the norm, it is always worth discussing ths with your Body Corportate and Owners Corporation if it is a personal concern, as the technology is evolving quickly. Within a decade, we may even see an apartment EV charger in every strata block.