EV Ready: The Co-owner's Guide to Smart, Collective Charging

As electric vehicles (EVs) become the standard, the question for co-owners and building managers shifts from if to how to integrate charging infrastructure. The answer, strongly supported by experts like Sibelga, is collective charging.

This guide breaks down the essential mandate, the massive benefits, and the technical specifications required to future-proof your building's electrical system and make EV adoption easy for everyone.

Why Collective Charging is the Mandate

If your building has more than three parking spaces, installing charging stations must be considered collectively. Trying to run individual electrical connections for every potential charger is costly, complex, and potentially dangerous for your building's main electrical connection.

By placing all charging stations behind a common or dedicated smart meter, you treat the charging infrastructure as a single utility—similar to communal lighting or elevator power.

The Core Benefits of the Collective Approach

• 🛡️ Protection & Correct Sizing: The collective system is designed and sized correctly from day one. This protects the building's main electrical connection from overload, ensuring reliable power for all units and common areas.
• ⬇️ Lower Installation Costs: Sharing main conduits, wiring, and a single meter means significantly lower initial installation costs for current, and more importantly, future charging point owners.
• 📈 Easy Future Expansion: The initial installation establishes a backbone ready for expansion. As more residents buy EVs, connecting a new charger is simple and inexpensive.
• ⚖️ Better Efficiency via Load Balancing: The collective system uses smart load balancing and automatic phase distribution to ensure the total power drawn never exceeds the limit, providing better efficiency without tripping the main breaker.
• ✍️ Single Energy Contract: The system operates under a single energy contract for all tenants or owners, simplifying administration and potentially leveraging better bulk rates.

Metering Options: How to Manage the Power

The collective approach requires a smart way to measure the total energy used by the system and, crucially, to bill individual users accurately.

Two common strategies are used for the main metering point:

1. Dedicated Smart Meter: A new meter is installed used only for EV charging. This is often the cleanest solution for managing costs.
2. Building's Common Meter: The charging stations are connected behind the building's main common meter.

Billing the Users

While the collective system has one main meter, you still need to know who used what.

• Per-Point Metering: For accurate billing, separate MID-certified smart meters are read at each individual charging station. This ensures that only the energy consumed by the user's car is charged to them.

⚙️ Technical Specifications: Ensuring Compliance and Safety

To meet Sibelga and safety standards, the collective charging infrastructure must adhere to specific technical requirements:

| Component | Requirement | Detail | | :-------------------- | :----------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Max Power/Point | 11 kW (AC) | This is the maximum recommended power for charging points in most residential buildings to prevent strain on the grid. | | Voltage | Compatibility | Must be compatible with the building's connection: $3\times230\text{V}$ or $3\text{N}\times400\text{V}$. | | Smart Metering | Mandatory | A smart meter is required for the installation to enable load balancing and remote management. | | Billing Accuracy | MID-Certified | Individual charging points must use MID-certified meters for legally accurate billing. | | Communication | Connectivity | Requires Mobile Data (SIM) or Cat6 Ethernet for reliable communication. Must support OCPP 1.6/2.0 JSON. | | Safety Protection | RCD Protection | A Residual Current Device (RCD) protection of $\le30\text{ mA}$ is mandatory at the point of charge. | | Connector | Standard Mode 3 / Type 2 | The standard AC charging connector is required. | | Rapid Charging | Forbidden | Rapid charging ($\ge50\text{ kW}$) is strictly prohibited in residential parking buildings due to high power draw and fire risk. |

The Smart Choice for Co-ownership

Adopting a collective charging system is not just about installing chargers; it’s about smart energy management. It protects your valuable building connection, simplifies billing, and creates a clear, inexpensive path for every resident to switch to an EV.

By following this Sibelga-endorsed guidance, co-owners can ensure their building remains modern, safe, and welcoming to the growing electric future.