EV Charging Stations (EVCS) are becoming a standard element that is included in new and existing parking lot designs. We review site plans everyday and we are discovering is that Accessible Parking Spaces and Accessible EV Charging Stations are being scoped incorrectly. This is a problem that can easily fixed if caught early in the design phase. But as the project progresses into construction, correcting scoping errors can be costly and seriously impact design. So how should accessible parking and accessible EVCS be scoped?

Accessible Parking vs Accessible EVCS

First thing to understand is that EV Charging Spaces are NOT the same as Parking Spaces. These are two different elements that provide 2 separate functions; Parkings spaces store parked vehicles. EV Charging Spaces are intended for charging electric vehicles. Beyond providing separate functions, they each have different technical requirements: Dimensions, markings, signage, etc.

Since parking spaces and EV spaces are different elements, they are scoped separately. The following is an example of a new commercial parking lot located in California.

Case Study - A new parking lot will provide 60 total parking spaces.

To start, you would determine the total number of Accessible Parking Spaces required by referencing the Table 11B-208.2. In this case, the parking lot is required to provide 3 Accessible Parking Spaces (At least 1 of the 3 Accessible Parking Spaces shall be Van Accessible).

Next, you would determine how many EV Charging Stations are required by the California Green Building Standards Code. (Note: Chapter 11B does not determine how many EVCS are required in a given parking lot. Chapter 11B is used to determine the number of Accessible EVCS based on the total number of EVCS provided within the parking facility.) In this example, the property owner has chosen to exceed the minimum number of EVCS at this facility and provide 6 total EVCS. (For simplicity, lets assume that all 6 EVCS are capable of charging only 1 EV Charging Space at AC Level 1).

Once we know that 6 total EV Charging Stations are being provided at the facility, you would then refer to Table 11B-228.3.2.1 to determine how many of the EV Charging Spaces must be accessible to people with disabilities. In this case, 2 of the 6 EV Spaces must be accessible (x1 Van Accessible and x1 Standard Accessible).

Finished Design

After scoping the Parking Spaces and EVCS Separately, the parking lot should provide:

• x53 Non-Accessible Parking Spaces

• x1 Van Accessible Parking Space

• x2 Standard Accessible Parking Spaces

• x4 Non-Accessible EV Charging Spaces

• x1 Van Accessible EV Charging Space

• x1 Standard Accessible EV Charging Space

If you only learn one lesson from reading this article, it is this; Accessible Parking Stalls and Accessible EV Charging Spaces cannot be consolidated to to occupy the same area. They are two separate elements with conflicting technical requirements. They must be provided independently of each other.

Contact our Certified Access Specialists today for a free estimate to provide EVCS consulting services.