New Standards for Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) Construction Projects

Morrison Hershfield has developed all-new standards for electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) construction projects for the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) for use in public parking lots. These standard drawings and specifications have been designed with the intent to one day become Ontario Provincial Standard Drawings (OPSDs) and Ontario Provincial Standard Specifications (OPSSes). Ontario has become one of the first jurisdictions to develop standard construction drawings and specifications for the installation of public electric vehicle charging stations and associated infrastructure. These standards will assist in the detail design of all future MTO EVCS projects to come and reduce design and construction administration efforts for installing public charging stations province-wide while providing a set of quality standards for manufacturers to conform to. Conformance with the purchasing and construction standards by manufacturers will improve product fairness, competitiveness and cost. Importantly, developing a set of standards details and specifications will improve project schedules, allowing for accelerated EVCS projects to accommodate the growing electric vehicle market and combat climate change. To develop the standard details and specifications, Morrison Hershfield has approached electric vehicle industry leaders, charging station manufacturers and project stakeholders for input and expertise. Morrison Hershfield has performed examinations of existing EVCS installations and has reviewed previous contract documents to determine what has worked and what has needed refinement in the new standards. A focus on criteria such as robustness, flexibility and maintainability has been sustained throughout the project.   To date, the new EVCS standards have been successfully used to simplify and accelerate several carpool lot charging station construction projects.