City unveils first draft of new ordinance to expand EV charging infrastructure

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Charleston has unveiled the first draft of an ordinance to add more charging infrastructure for electric cars that would only apply to new buildings within city limits.

City officials said Thursday they really tried to focus on the larger developments, like retail, office buildings and mixed-use developments with this ordinance to support a rising demand for electric vehicles.

The city said they saw a 70% increase in electric vehicle registrations in the state between 2020 and 2021, with the infrastructure to charge them falling behind.

The potential new city code would require at least a dryer-type outlet, with wiring and junction box, in new single-family homes. This minimum requirement would allow people to use portable chargers, if needed.

As written now, new shopping centers and food stores would have one charging station per 50 spaces and at least one spot ready to handle portable charging for every 10 spaces.

The ordinance separates the spaces into three categories – EV-Capable, EV-Ready and EVSE-installed.

• EV-Capable: This parking space provides dedicated electrical panel capacity and conduit from the location of the panel to the EV-Capable parking space.
• EV-Ready: This parking space includes all EV-Capable requirements and additionally the wiring installed with a termination at a junction box or receptacle to the EV-Ready parking space.
• EVSE-Installed: This parking space includes all EV-Ready requirements and additionally provides Level 2 or DC Fast chargers fully connected and ready to charge an EV.

A full breakdown of the ordinance and its requirements can be found below, courtesy of the City of Charleston:

Stewart Weinberg serves on the city’s Resiliency and Sustainability Advisory Committee and is the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Environmental Caucus. He said the measure is a good first step to getting the infrastructure in place.

“Maybe in five years, nobody would even think of building without at least being EV-ready, but now, right now, I think until the industry grows, especially in South Carolina, we need to give them a little bit of incentive,” Weinberg said.

The city said they still need to make a few tweaks before bringing this to council for a vote and are seeking public input. If you would like to give your input, please email Sustainability Director Katie McKain at mckaink@charleston-sc.gov.

McKain said they plan to replace the eight charging stations found in parking garages with 16 new stations that are all inter-connected.

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