Parking garage issues with electric car charging stations

Can EV charging stations be installed in parking garages?

The EV fire also burns extremely hot at the ground level, potentially eroding through a concrete floor, now making vehicles on lower ramps susceptible to the spreading fire as well. If possible, hold off on installing charging stations within parking garages. Instead, place them in the parking lot, perhaps under a basic cover structure.

Do parking garages with EV charging stations need a hazard assessment?

Hazard Assessment: Parking garages with EV charging stations should undergo a hazard assessment to identify potential fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and electrical systems. This assessment can help determine the appropriate level of fire protection.

Are EV charging garages a fire hazard?

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) has begun looking into this issue and has a report on modern vehicle hazards in parking garages. The additional risk of an EV charging fire to a parking garage full of plastic burning vehicles, melting fuel tanks and increased fire loads is a new challenge that needs further research.

Can you put a charging station in a parking garage?

If possible, hold off on installing charging stations within parking garages. Instead, place them in the parking lot, perhaps under a basic cover structure. Reach out to your responding fire department, and talk to them about the possibility of an EV fire in your parking garage and how they would handle it.

Are EV charging stations safe?

However, as the EV market grows, so do concerns about fire hazards associated with EV charging stations and infrastructure challenges in adapting to this new reality. While EVs are generally safe, several incidents of fires in parking garages and charging stations have raised questions about whether existing infrastructure is adequately prepared.

Are electric vehicles a fire hazard in parking garages?

Among the solutions under consideration are CO 2 and water mist concepts. The goals of the NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation’s Electric Vehicle Hazards in Parking Garages project are to quantify the fire hazard and spread characteristics of EVs to reform fire protection requirements of open and closed parking garages.