Webinar will plug blocks into EV charging facts

Can individual owners have electric vehicle (EV) charging in their apartment block parking spots or do they have to wait till the whole building is cabled?

Can the owners corporation charge them for the electricity they use, via a meter, or does it just get added to everybody’s levies?

How do you tell if your electrical system can even cope with the additional load from EV charging points?

Many of these questions have been raised by this story about a doctor who had to sell his electric car because his strata committee wouldn’t let him charge it up at his common property parking spot.

And that triggered a lively response from Flat Chat readers on our Forum.

Well, in a few weeks all your questions – and a few you haven’t even thought of –  will be answered at a free webinar organised by NSW Department of Energy and Climate Change, in conjunction with strata owners’ peak body the Owners Corporation Network (OCN) and with input from our sponsors Strata Answers and City of Sydney Council.

“With a global shift away from petrol and diesel cars to electric vehicles (EVs) it’s not a matter of if, but when, buildings will need to provide EV charging options,” says the webinar’s web page..

“To help prepare your building for the future, we have put together a 5-step process, which covers charging options, a costing tool as well as survey and letter templates to help support you to make your building ready to meet the increased demand by EV drivers.

“At this free information session we will step you through our easy-to-understand resources and tools. We will also share details on other initiatives the NSW Government is leading to prepare for the increase in EV drivers on NSW roads.”

The webinar, on Thursday May 12,  at 2 pm (AEST) will feature:

• Ross De Rango from EV Council to discuss the EV landscape including uptake and managing charging
• Fred Tuckwell from Owners Corporation Network (OCN) to share guidance on building sizes and charging options
• Dale Cohen, a strata secretary to explain how his building determined their approach to installing EV charging, what worked best for their situation and how they have found the process.
• Josef Blackley-Stocker, Senior Project Officer, Net Zero Transport, Office of Energy and Climate Change

Strata complex owners and tenants, strata/owners corporations, industry organisations, building managers, licensed electricians, planners and anyone else interested in the process to make EV ready buildings are all urged to attend.

And, to get the most out of this event, the organisers recommend you read through the electric vehicle ready buildings online content before the session.

You can get your free ticket – which takes the form of a link to the Microsoft Teams online event – by clicking on this link.

And meanwhile Strata Answers are accepting applications from strata schemes for their free course on how to upgrade your block to allow EV charging.