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I’m in Victoria. We have an underground car park for thirty-five vehicles. One owner has accessed the common property power to recharge his hybrid vehicle and is happy to have a meter fitted and the power charged to his Unit.
In light of this, the Committee of Management commissioned an EV Charger Electrical Supply Audit which found that the building supply just meets requirements and if owners want to use power in the building a sub station will have to be installed at cost of doubling the yearly operating levy, the committee intends to move that all EV Vehicles be banned from re-charging in the building or property at the next AGM.
The owner who is presently re-charging is objecting and maintains the committee is discriminating against him and wants to be exempted from the rule, I would appreciate any advice or comments on this subject.
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Oddly enough, this by-law could fall foul of the same legal ruling that had no-pets by-laws shredded across the country.
I’m no lawyer, but I think the problem was that the no-pets by-law didn’t allow for any reasonable exceptions and therefore was considered harsh and discriminatory. It wasn’t about pets – it was about the fair interpretation of the law.
In this case, it will depend very much on how the by-law is worded and what restrictions it imposes. For instance, it’s very rare that all the electrical consumption is being used at the same time.
So, for instance, the EV owner could be allowed to charge the car between midnight and 6am when everyone else is tucked up in bed and it wouldn’t get close to the power supply limit. And if the by-law doesn’t allow for that, then they could argue that it’s harsh and discriminatory and therefore invalid and it will be next stop the Supreme Court.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
Problems are likely to occur if more of those 35 vehicles become EVs/hybrids.
How many CP power points are accessible in the area? What is the maximum load for the circuit(s) they are on? Most individual domestic circuits run on 20-25 amps, which would equate to just 2 very slow chargers. Is this likely to cause sharing conflicts for the OC to try and sort out?
Is this likely to cause sharing conflicts for the OC to try and sort out?
Well, yes, but it’s hardly insurmountable. If there are those numbers involved (unlikely) then there is tried and tested technology that shares the power supply among those who need it, limits car charging when domestic demand is the priority and – here’s the important part – the strata scheme can get the people who want it to pay for it (the installation, not just the electricity).
The potential for EV charging boosts the value of all the properties in the block, in the same way that having a gym does. Only a minority use it but most potential purchasers like to know it’s there.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
Your committee should look at something like the Ready Steady Plug solution;
http://www.readysteadyplug.com
As it controls the load it will prevent your buildings power supply from being exceeded. It also allows an easy means to recoup the cost of the power from those charging.
We are in the process of commissioning one of these systems, it can connect to 36 EV’s (we have 9 connecting from the start) and in our instance those wanting to connect will have an outlet installed in their carspace.
That is unnecessary. In NSW this would not work, because of the Cooper case, which makes a by-law that bans behavior that MIGHT create a problem invalid, and only permit restrictions in by-laws that actually are shown with evidence to create problems.
As a secretary of a NSW strata committee, and an electric car owner for the last 6 months, I can confirm that Type 1 charging is very satisfactory – namely installing a regular 3-pin socket in my parking bay on a circuit that runs through my Unit’s electricity meter. Electric cars can operate well with building power capacity limits, because the cars all (newer ones anyway) come with a function to re-charge on a time schedule. So a building with power capacity problems could have a by-law that electric cars may only be recharged using Type 1 recharging equipment, during off-peak hours – eg 8pm to 6am, for example, when little of the building’s power is being used.
Buildings hoping to avoid upgrading their power supply equipment are going to be disappointed – the government already has mandated that all electricity meters are to be changed to smart-type meters. This will involve replacing the old analogue meters with smart meters, adding a meter circuit-breaker, and often also replacing old non-compliant electricity switch-boards (eg, these can contain asbestos). Smart meters allow time-of-day rates, which make charging electric cars during off-peak times very sensible (at about half the cost of charging the car at the single rate).
But the charging circuits for cars should be put through the owner’s meter, and not using the common property power supply. Although there are solutions, like “ReadySteadyPlug” that allow common power circuits to be used, with users being individually billed for the power they consume. It is also possible to handle the use of common property power more simply, with a by-law that permits powering electric cars from the common power supply, upon application, with the owners submitting the power used readings from their cars, quarterly, and the OC on-charging a reasonable cost. But adding new circuits for owners sockets in the garage area will sometimes run into the same issue as above, with smart-meters, requiring the building to upgrade its switchboard (not to mention old switchboards often contain asbestos, so any work on it will require it to be replaced).
I understand the challenges associated with the installation of power sources for the individual owners of EV’s plus the complexity of supply to an apartment block – but the issue of safety and exploding batteries needs also to be considered and the impact this could have on the complex’s insurance. And whilst Lithium batteries are a major concern for cars – what about other lithium batteries of devices owned by owners and residents. Is there a template for Strata complexes written to cover aspects of safety for all lithium batteries?
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