Typically, installing an electric vehicle supply equipment EVSE, commonly referred to as EV charging stations, is a straightforward process; however, unique challenges may pop up.. Yes,
Trang 1FOR OVER 100 YEARS LIFE POWERED BY EDISON.
FOR OVER 100 YEARS…LIFE POWERED BY EDISON.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ON INSTALLING ELECTRIC
VEHICLE SUPPLY
EQUIPMENT
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Contact Information: We know you may have some additional questions about EVSEs and we’re here to help Please contact us
at PEVReadiness@sce.com
or call1800-4EV-INFO.
Plug-in Electric Vehicles are here, and more
are on the way SCE wants to help make
charging them simple, safe and economical
for customers
EVs offer the convenience and ease of
charging from home But, there are several
decisions customers will need to make about
their home charging infrastructure before
they bring them home SCE is working with automakers, car dealers, electric vehicle service providers and local cities to help educate customers
SCE has a comprehensive website to help customers and cities understand the home charging station installation process Visit
www.sce.com/ev
Typically, installing an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), commonly referred to
as EV charging stations, is a straightforward process; however, unique challenges may pop up Following are answers to some
of the questions you may have about the process
I Installing Charging Stations
II Load Calculations and Analysis
III Permitting
IV Safety
V Electric Rules and Service Requirements
VI Second Meter Installations
VII Miscellaneous
Intro
Helping Customers Navigate the Ins and Outs of Fueling Electric Vehicles
Trang 3Yes, we have a number of publications and information on SCE.com/EV to help you You can find a list of companies manufacturing and/or installing EVSE at www.pluginamerica.org/accessories
Yes, the EVSE can be moved, but first check with your local city or county to see if there are any specific rules and regulations In general, it’s easier to move a hard-connected EVSE than a hard-wired EVSE
Additionally, carefully consider moving equipment from one location to another since the customer’s and/or SCE’s electrical equipment may not be sized for the alternate location
If customers do decide to move their EVSEs, they’ll need to inform SCE Tariff Rule 3C states:
“Change in Customer’s Equipment or Operations The customer shall give SCE written notice of the extent and nature of any material change in the size, character, or extent of the utilizing equipment or operations for which SCE is supplying electric service before making any such change.”
I Installing Charging Stations
Many municipalities, businesses, multi-family housing units and individual homeowners are expressing interest in installing charging
stations for electric vehicles
Does SCE provide charging
station installation information?
Can Electric Vehicle Supply
Equipment (EVSE) be moved?
For example, when someone
sells their house, or visits
their vacation home?
Table of Contents ! Installing Charging Stations
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Trang 4Because each property is different, please ask a qualified electrician whether the property can accommodate an A/B switch, as well as your local city or county to see if they allow it If customers
do decide to install an A/B switch, they’ll need to inform SCE Tariff Rule 3C states: “Change in Customer’s Equipment or Operations The customer shall give SCE written notice of the extent and nature of any material change in the size, character, or extent of the utilizing equipment or operations for which SCE is supplying electric service before making any such change.”
If the installation is permitted and inspected, then the residential customer has two rate options:
the residential rate (D) or the TOU-D-TEV rate We encourage our customers to call SCE to learn more about their rate options
An A/B switch could be used with a traditional residential rate (D) or one of SCE’s electric car rates—TOU-D-TEV—but is not allowed with the other electric car rate—TOU-EV-1—which is separately metered and not allowed for other appliances
Yes, we can if the panel is not compliant with SCE’s ESR However, we try to work closely with
electricians to make sure this doesn’t happen You can read the ESR here As an electrician or
do-it-yourself homeowner, you also need to make sure your customer is compliant with SCE’s ESR
While we don’t handle those issues, we recommend that you ask your local city or county whether they allow hard-connected instead of hard-wired EVSE in residential applications under NEC article 625
It’s important to note that cities and counties require the EVSE, plus the installation instructions, to be approved by Underwriters Lab (UL) or another nationally recognized testing lab UL approval for a hard-connected EVSE that meets NEC article 625 requirements is still unclear
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Is it possible to have a switch
to alternate between the charging
of two PEVs (an A/B switch so
the PEVs can be charged one
after another)?
If the panel is not compliant
with SCE’s Electrical Service
Requirements (ESR), can
SCE require the customer
to move the panel?
EVSE has the potential to
be connected by a 12” line to
an outlet; does NEC article 625
allow “hard connected” instead
of “hard wired” EVSE in
residential applications?
! Installing Charging Stations Table of Contents
Trang 5Depending on the city, most permit applications usually require an electrician to perform a load analysis
To not delay the permitting process, electrical contractors should check with the city or county’s permit department
The installing electrician should provide the local authority with detailed information such as the existing load, the additional charging load, wire and circuit breaker size There are checklists similar to ones used already in some cities for hot tubs that help the local authority to determine if the load is adequate You
can find check list examples in the California Electric Code’s appendix, from the International Code
Council (ICC) or specific cities.
Yes, if customers let SCE know about their PEV purchase, we will visit the PEV customer site to evaluate whether SCE’s electrical equipment loads are sized to meet the EV demand We can also provide (kW) information, upon customer request However, SCE’s experience is that the type of load calculation that SCE planners perform does not satisfy the requirements of permit and inspection desk staff at cities or counties
II Load Calculations and Analysis
SCE requires that load calculations and analysis must be performed prior to installing EVSE to determine whether the customer’s existing electric
service panel has sufficient capacity to add EV charging or if it will need to be upgraded
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Do cities have plan checks that
require load analysis?
How does the local permitting
department know how much
PEV charging will overload a
dedicated or non-dedicated
circuit?
Does SCE do load calculations
and visit every charging site?
Can SCE provide load (kW)
information from the current or
new smart meters in residences
to help the permit and inspection
staff at the city or county with
their load calculation?
II Load Calculations and Analysis Table of Contents
Trang 6We’ve designed our electric distribution system according to the SCE Distribution Design Standards, and base design on current expected loads as well as potential growth in an area Because needs change, these standards are dynamic and are being updated as we build the Smart electrical system
If you’re interested in regulations, Rules 15.A.1.a and 16.A.1 state that SCE will be responsible for planning, designing, and engineering Distribution Line and Service Extensions using SCE’s standards for design Additionally, Section DDS-8 2.0 of SCE’s Design Standards notes that service cables shall
be selected to meet the expected demand without exceeding the voltage drop and flicker criteria, as described in the same section
Sometimes the existing SCE service
can’t support a load that can be
served by a panel How does SCE
design its distribution system
capacity?
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II Load Calculations and Analysis Table of Contents
Trang 7We do not provide guidelines or drawings regarding EVSE installation Our information pertains to SCE’s side of the meter and includes requirements for electric panel locations and acceptable panel connections to Edison’s service
Yes, it is possible for a customer to charge their PEV at Level 1 without a permit because EVs come with
an electric cord that the customer may plug into an existing 120v socket It’s important that an electrician evaluates the circuit to determine if it can safely charge the EV, and upgrade the circuit, as needed Level
2 charging involves additional wiring and equipment that usually requires a permit so check with your local city or county about permit requirements
The customer or electrician should check with the city or county, as a plan check and/or a work analysis may be required if the residential electrical panel is very large (e.g 400 amps)
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Are drawings available to help
the inspectors, electricians and
customers understand the most
common single family or
multi-family EVSE installations?
Can you install a
level 1 (120 volts)
or 2 (240 volts) EVSE
installation without permits?
In addition to a permit, is a plan
check and work analysis required
if the residential electrical panel
is very large (e.g 400 amps)?
III Permitting
Depending on the city or county, the EVSE installation permitting process can vary from being straightforward to slightly more complex The key
is to check with each permitting department to find out its requirements
III Permitting Table of Contents
Trang 8Each local city or county has different requirements so we suggest you contact the appropriate permitting authority
If you have an older home, first consult with a qualified electrician and, if needed, with the local city or county The small size of the panels in smaller, older homes may mean an electrical panel upgrade is needed
Yes, SCE would use the permit information to cross check SCE’s database to identify SCE customers who have not notified the utility regarding their PEV purchase SCE will then review the customer’s historical kilowatt hour usage/load/demand and the additional PEV charging load to ensure that SCE’s electrical equipment is capable of handling the demand As a result, an upgrade to the customer’s electrical equipment may be needed
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Do electricians need to submit
single line drawings?
How should customers and
electricians handle older homes
with glass fuses instead of
breakers?
Would notifying SCE about
all customers’ requests for
a permit for EVSE-related
installations help SCE’s
distribution planning process?
III Permitting Table of Contents
Trang 9IV Safety
Keeping our customers and employees safe is the most important thing we do at SCE
Please consult with your local authority, as well as SCE, about fire code requirements since city or local requirements may include the need to clearly label the panels to alert emergency personnel
of the existence of two panels Since SCE’s tariffs do not allow for a separate service installation to new dedicated EV panel, both panels should be in proximity to each other A homeowner installing
EV panels without consulting SCE and or the city/local authority may be required to relocate the panels
What actions are required if
two panels at a residence or
business are not in the same
location? This may cause
safety problems for the fire
department in an emergency.
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IV Safety Table of Contents
Trang 10The requirements vary based on location and situation If you have a question, please contact SCE at 1-800-4EV-INFO
We encourage all our customers to hire qualified, licensed electricians and to verify their credentials
We also require all electrical work to comply with the SCE Electrical Service Requirements and
other technical specifications You can review SCE’s electrical service requirements here.
We always believe there’s a way to improve a process Ideally, the customer contacts us to let us know
he or she wants to buy an EV and provides the name of the selected electrician This information goes
to the SCE planner who will visit the customer site to evaluate SCE’s infrastructure The SCE planner will identify possible locations for a second panel, which is needed if the EV-TOU-1 rate is selected,
as well as contact the electrician to discuss the situation, as needed
V Electric Rules and Service Requirements
Like other utilities throughout the nation, SCE has a number of electrical service requirements If you’d like to review them,
you can find them here Following are some additional questions relating to SCE’s electrical rules and requirements.
When does SCE require that
residential PEVs underground
the overhead electrical service?
Does SCE offer qualified
electricians specific EVSE
station installation requirements?
Is there a way to improve
communications between
SCE Planners and electricians?
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V Electric Rules and Service Requirements Table of Contents
Trang 11For commercial charging station installations, customers should contact SCE planners as early as possible Electric vehicle rates contain provisions on the ownership of vehicles to be charged
So commercial (non-residential) charging would be allowed on an existing residential rate
We also encourage customers to read tariffs carefully for any restrictions or special conditions when deciding to add load to existing accounts/rates Street lighting and traffic control rates are for these applications only, and agricultural and pumping rates contain provisions regarding appropriate use
A customer with an existing commercial service account may allow charging on that account
However, no commercial (non-residential) charging would be allowed on an existing residential rate
Possibly, but the customer must consult with an electrical contractor, SCE and the city or local authority to see if it is allowed High-level charging (30-50 kW) is a significant electrical load
Additionally, a customer must notify SCE under Rule 3C which states: “Change in Customer’s Equipment or Operations The customer shall give SCE written notice of the extent and nature
of any material change in the size, character, or extent of the utilizing equipment or operations for which SCE is supplying electric service before making any such change.”
Under CPUC approved rules, SCE does not pay for electrical equipment on the customer side
of the meter Rule 16 addresses customer requirements for work on the customer side of the
meter whether overhead or underground
In general, SCE does not require this, but please check with your local city or county However,
If we cannot serve the requested upgrade with overhead facilities due to the size of the required transformation, we will require the upgraded service to go underground
When commercial and governmental SCE customers contract with charging station companies, will the customer have to “piggyback” onto existing SCE rates, such
as irrigation, traffic light
or street lamp rates?
Can hobbyists or small start-ups do high level
DC charging (between 30-50 kW) in their home?
Concern has been expressed about cost to upgrade the customer’s panel if service is underground Will SCE pay for this upgrade? If so how much?
Does SCE require a city or county to go from overhead
to underground service for large residential remodels?
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V Electric Rules and Service Requirements Table of Contents