Apartment building · Electric vehicle charging
Electric vehicle charging in apartment building: what the SRI measures
Charging is about three things: how many parking spaces have a charging point, whether charging is managed smartly on grid capacity and price, and whether users get information on availability and consumption.
In short
- 1This page shows how apartment complexes score on smart charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
- 2It covers three services: the number of charging points, smart charging management, and information for residents.
- 3For this building type, the EV charging domain carries full weight in the overall Smart Readiness Indicator score.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV Charging Capacity EV-15 · A · 5 levels | Not present | > 50% of parking spaces has recharging point | highest level |
| EV Charging Grid balancing EV-16 · A · 3 levels | Not present (uncontrolled charging) | 2-way controlled charging (e.g. including desired departure time and grid signals for optimization) | highest level |
| EV charging information and connectivity EV-17 · A · 3 levels | No information available | Reporting information on EV charging status to occupant AND automatic identification and authorization of the driver to the charging station (ISO 15118 compliant) | highest level |
Worked example
If everything in this domain is at level 0, the domain contributes nothing. At the highest level for all services, the indicative total score for this building type rises by about 3 percentage points (from 33 to 36 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does charging carry such heavy weight in apartment complexes?
In apartment complexes, the electric vehicle (EV) charging domain carries full weight in the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI). This is because parking garages and charging points are often collectively owned and fall directly under the decision-making authority of the homeowners association.
Other domains, such as heating, also play a role in residential buildings. Yet EV charging is a current and visible issue for this building type. The choices a homeowners association makes here therefore have relatively significant impact on the score.
Which three services are measured?
The methodology examines three smart-ready services within the EV charging domain. The first, EV-15, measures how many parking spaces have a charging point. This ranges from no charging points to more than 50 percent of spaces.
The second service, EV-16, looks at grid balancing: whether charging is managed based on grid capacity and desired departure time, and whether this happens in one direction or also back to the grid. The third service, EV-17, covers information and connectivity. Do residents have insight into charging status, and is the driver automatically identified at the charging point?
What does this mean for a homeowners association?
For an apartment complex, these are often decisions that go through the homeowners association. Installing conduit or outlet boxes is a first step, but delivers only a low functionality level.
A higher level requires actual charging points across a larger share of parking spaces, managed charging, and a system that informs residents about consumption and availability. These are investments the homeowners association must weigh together.
How does this compare across the rest of Europe?
The Smart Readiness Indicator is currently voluntary. For apartment complexes, a mandatory requirement through a delegated act is not expected, since this focuses primarily on non-residential buildings with installations above 290 kilowatts.
Nevertheless, the score provides insight into how ready a building is for increased electric vehicle adoption, something that plays a growing role in property valuation across many member states.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As owner or homeowners association board, it is useful to map the number of charging points and charging management, since these carry significant weight in the score for this building type. A higher score can increase the appeal of the complex to future residents with electric vehicles.
- Tenant
- As a resident, you will notice this primarily through whether a charging point is available at your parking space and whether you have insight into your charging status and consumption. A higher level typically means less waiting time and greater clarity on costs.
- Advisor
- In assessment, it is important to determine the percentage of parking spaces with charging points precisely, since the levels are sharply defined at 0, 9, 50 and above percent. Also verify whether management is one-way or two-way and whether automatic identification according to ISO 15118 is actually present.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?