Safety systems at a condo EV charging station

Safety is one of the first things committees and residents ask about when a condo plans EV chargers. This article lists the protection EVC installs at every station, from the distribution board to the equipment on site, so you can use it to decide or to check any provider.

Equipment standards

• 22 kW AC chargers certified to IEC 61851-1 and IEC 62196
• All electrical equipment certified to TIS and/or IEC
• Designed and installed by electrical engineers licensed under Thai law, following the EIT standard

Four layers of electrical protection

1. Dedicated circuit

   Fed from a spare way of the main distribution board (MDB) and shared with no other system, so power to the charging station can be cut on its own.

2. Type B residual current breaker per charger

   Each charger has its own breaker that protects against both AC and DC leakage and overcurrent. If one charger has a fault, only that charger is cut off.

3. Independent main breaker

   Cuts the whole charging station in one place, is clearly labelled, and doesn't affect the rest of the building.

4. Earthing

   Installed to the standards of the Provincial and Metropolitan Electricity Authorities (PEA/MEA).

Three points to cut power immediately

Layout around the chargers

• Evacuation routes at least 1.5 m wide and free of obstacles
• Exit signs and direction arrows visible along the whole route; fire stairs ready to use; doors not locked or blocked
• Away from flammable materials, with enough lighting
• EV symbols painted on the bays to mark them for electric cars
• Instructions and contact numbers on every charger

Safety equipment at every station

• 5 kg ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher for general and initial electrical fires
• Red emergency stop button on every charger, clearly visible and easy to press

For how to use this equipment in an incident, read what to do if there's a fire at a condo EV charging station.

Maintenance

EVC technicians inspect every 4–6 months (2–3 times a year) for the whole contract. They:

• Check the condition of the chargers, cables and connections
• Test the main breaker and emergency stop buttons
• Check earthing, the Type B residual current breakers and other breakers
• Test that the whole system works

Training building staff before launch

Before a station opens, EVC trains the building management team, technicians and security guards on using the chargers and where the emergency stop buttons are, where the breakers are and how to cut main power, how to use the fire extinguisher, and how to report an emergency.

Who is responsible for what

For the standards that cover the chargers and plugs themselves, see what are IEC 61851 and TIS 62196.

References

• IEC 61851-1:2017, Electric vehicle conductive charging system (IEC)
• Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT)
• Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA)
• Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA)