Office · Electric vehicle charging
Electric vehicle charging in office: 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 explains how the Smart Readiness Indicator assesses electric vehicle charging in office buildings.
- 2The domain counts for offices with a weighting factor of 2 out of 3, so it has clear impact on the overall score.
- 3The assessment looks at three smart-ready services: charging capacity, grid balancing, and user information.
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 | level 2 or higher |
| 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) | level 2 or higher |
| 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) | level 2 or higher |
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 electric vehicle charging count in the SRI?
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) is a European method to measure how well a building is prepared for smart technology. Office buildings often have a car park or parking garage, and increasingly face a need to charge electric vehicles.
The electric vehicle charging domain has a weighting factor of 2 out of 3 possible points for offices. This is substantial weight, comparable to domains such as heating or lighting. A building that offers little in this area loses noticeably on the overall score.
Which smart-ready services are assessed?
Within this domain, the methodology looks at three smart-ready services, each with functionality levels from 0 to 4 or fewer, depending on the service.
- EV-15 Charging capacity: how many parking spaces actually have a charging point, from nothing available to more than half of all spaces.
- EV-16 Grid balancing: whether charging is controlled based on grid capacity, for example based on departure time and grid signals, and whether this also enables bidirectional charging, that is, returning power to the grid.
- EV-17 Information and connectivity: whether users gain insight into charging status and whether the system automatically recognises and authorises the driver at the charging point.
These three services together determine the functionality level of the domain for the building. A higher level in one service does not automatically compensate for a low level in another.
What does this mean for office buildings specifically?
Office buildings often have a building management system (BMS) in place, but that system is not always well configured for charging infrastructure. Particularly with varying occupancy throughout the day, controlled charging can help avoid peaks in electricity consumption.
Because office buildings regularly have a power rating above 290 kW for climate installations, they may fall under future obligations. The European Commission must adopt a delegated act by 30 June 2027 that is expected to make the SRI mandatory for this type of building.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As owner of an office building, it makes sense to check existing charging infrastructure against the three smart-ready services of this domain, because the weighting factor of 2 out of 3 directly affects the overall score. An investment in controlled charging and user information can improve both energy costs and the attractiveness of the building to tenants.
- Tenant
- As tenant or user of the office, you experience this domain mainly in practice: do you have visibility into your vehicle's charging status, and does the charging point work without manual registration. At a higher functionality level, charging becomes more predictable and less dependent on parking lot congestion.
- Advisor
- When assessing this domain, it is important not only to look at the percentage of parking spaces with a charging point, but also at the control system: unidirectional or bidirectional controlled charging makes a significant difference in functionality level. Also verify whether identification and authorisation via ISO 15118 are actually implemented, and not merely technically possible.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?