By: Dawn Haworth, Public Communications Specialist

As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to rise, it’s becoming increasingly important to provide supply equipment to support EV owners along their everyday journeys. Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) is essential to the operation of EVs, which includes charging stations, connectors, control systems, cables, and other electronic components, depending on the site. These courses are ideal for architects, planners, and sustainability professionals whose projects include or will be affected by EVSE design, permitting, or infrastructure.

EVs are starting to become normalized in today’s society, however, many community buildings and other critical facilities are still in need of infrastructure that will allow EVs to charge and operate to their fullest potential. In order to implement ever-advancing EVSE infrastructure, architects, planners, and construction professionals need the foundational information when it comes to siting, working with utilities, navigating permitting, and accessibility considerations relating to EVSE.

The NC Clean Energy Technology Center has coordinated with subject matter experts in the EVSE infrastructure field to provide online, on-demand course content to cover these topics. The EVSE Infrastructure Series includes four 1-hour courses that can be taken individually or a complete package. The courses are: Basics of Siting EVSE Charging Infrastructure, Working with Utilities for EVSE Charging Infrastructure, Navigating Permitting for EVSE Charging Infrastructure, and EV Charging Ecosystems and Accessibility. All four courses provide 1 hour of American Institute of Architects (AIA) continuing education credits.

Basics of Siting Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Charging Infrastructure

This course is led by presenters Dr. Wesley Davis, President and CEO of MLS Electric, and Andrea Neri, Transportation Planning Manager at NC State University. In this course, the experts will discuss the basics of EVs, such as types of EVs and plug types, and provide more detailed information such as cost considerations in constructing an EV charging station. They will differentiate the types of charging stations based on the geographical location, existing utility infrastructure, and building requirements. Participants will be eligible to earn 1.0 LU | HSW AIA credit upon completion of the course.

Working with Utilities for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Charging Infrastructure

In this course, experts will dive into how the electric grid works and how infrastructure changes across the United States impact the development and installation of EVSE. The types of rates and how those rates are set will be discussed along with case studies on partnering with utilities or other organizations to reduce the cost of EVSE. Presenters for this course include Tom Delviscio, Senior Manager – Customer Fleet Electrification at Duke Energy Corporation, Soli Shin, e-Mobility Program Manager at Con Edison, and Brian Lips, Senior Project Manager – DSIRE at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center. 1.0 LU | HSW AIA credit will be available upon completion of this course.

Navigating Permitting for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Charging Infrastructure

Presenters Mackenzie Love, Senior Program Manager at the Great Plains Institute, and Ed Gilliland, Senior Director at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, will cover the terminology relevant to EVSE infrastructure installation and the permitting process. Participants will learn how EVSE permitting can impact a project schedule and budget, and what to do if there is no existing permitting process. Examples of how to navigate permitting across various scenarios will be reviewed. 1.0 LU HSW AIA credit is eligible to be earned upon completion of this course, as well as 1.0 CM credit for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

EV Charging Ecosystems and Accessibility

The United States Access Board has yet to make recommendations for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to adopt and implement ADA Accessible Design Standards for electric vehicle charging. This course will review the current legal requirements in place and cover the differences between existing ADA parking requirements vs accessible EVSE parking based on standards for quantity, stall size, accessibility, and communication interfaces. Accessible Mobility & Disability Justice Advocate at Spark Access, Alan Hejl, will discuss the importance of going beyond minimum requirements to incorporate best practices in design and accessibility. Upon completion of this course, participants will be eligible to earn 1.0 LU | HSW AIA credit.

Each of these four courses will include multiple-choice questions throughout the course sections to measure knowledge absorption. To qualify for continuing education credits, participants must earn an overall score of 70% or higher.

Anyone with an interest in EVSE infrastructure is welcome to register for these courses. The series is recommended for the following groups of individuals:

• Architects and Designers
• US Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professionals
• Planners
• Construction Professionals
• Professional Engineers
• Electricians and Electrical Contractors
• Energy Professionals
• Clean Transportation Professionals

Take the initiative to be ahead of the curve when it comes to adopting and implementing EVSE infrastructure! Learn more about the courses and register here.