NYSERDA and its partners have compiled a series of best practice guides for charging station hosts, installers, and communities that help people navigate the process for permitting, buying, installing, and operating charging stations. These are intended to make the process easier for everyone involved.
Many of these guides were developed in collaboration with the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a group of 11 Northeast states and Washington, DC. Support for developing those documents was provided in part by a nearly $1 million EV readiness grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
General Guides for Commercial Sites and Workplaces
Best Practices Guide for Site Owners of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations on Commercial Properties
This guide is for commercial site owners considering installation of an EV charging station. It addresses topics such as determining if a location is a good fit for an EV charging station, which type of charging station to purchase, where to place it in the parking lot, who can install it, and how to manage its operations.
Download Site Owner's EV Charging Station Best Practices Guide [PDF|11.1MB]
Workplace Charging Guide
This guide provides an overview of the potential benefits of installing charging stations at workplaces and information to help employers through the process of planning, installing, and managing EV charging infrastructure.
Download Workplace Charging Brochure [PDF|1MB]
Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Policies
This report recommends a range of best practices for employers that want to implement policies to govern the use of workplace charging stations.
Download Workplace EV Charging Policies [PDF|6.8MB]
Market Background and Demographics
Literature review of EV use in the northeast
This market summary and literature review provides an overview of EV deployment in the Northeast as of 2012. The document is intended to serve as a resource for consumers and policymakers who seek to better understand the nature of and challenges facing EV deployment in the Northeast.
Download EV Deployment in the Northeast – Literature Review [PDF|7.7MB]
Assessment of current electric vehicle use and charging station installations
This report analyzes the patterns of current EV ownership and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) installations based on a range of geographic, demographic, and policy-based concerns.
Download Assessment of Current EVSE and EV Deployment [PDF|9.7MB]
Lessons from early installations of charging equipment
This study documents EV charging infrastructure installations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and uncovers some of the related challenges and opportunities.
Download Lessons from Early Deployments of EVSE [PDF|9.7MB]
Best Practices for Site Selection
Charging station cluster analysis
This report walks through the location types where EVSE might be installed and informs decision-makers and prospective EVSE hosts of which factors make a good EV charging location. Targeting locations for EVSE rollout through this cluster approach can help create a system of EV charging in the critical early stages of EV adoption.
Download EVSE Cluster Analysis [PDF|6.3MB]
Siting and design guidelines for charging stations
The EVSE design guidelines in this report identify and diagram key siting and design issues that are relevant to local governments as well as developers, homeowners, businesses, utility providers, and other organizations interested in best practices for EVSE implementation.
Download Siting and Design Guidelines For EVSE [PDF|11MB]
Site design for electric vehicle charging stations
This report highlights best practices for designing EV parking spaces, and provides several illustrated design scenarios. It is best used alongside EV Ready Codes for the Built Environment as a comprehensive resource for EVSE site designers.
Download Site Design for EV Charging Stations [PDF|4.0MB]
Local Regulations – Permitting, Zoning, Signage, and Building Codes
Electric vehicle-ready codes for the built environment
This document provides an overview of building and electrical codes and their relation to EVs, highlighting best practices from around the world to make recommendations for jurisdictions in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Download EV Ready Codes for the Built Environment [PDF|3.8MB]
Planning policy tool guide
This guide highlights best practices and introduces policy options for public officials and private-sector leaders seeking to prepare their communities, jurisdictions, states, or organizations for EVs.
Download A Guide To Planning and Policy Tools [PDF|4.1MB]
Charging station signage overview
This overview includes general service (guidance), regulatory (enforceable), and special (information/trailblazer) signage.
Download EVSE Signage Overview [PDF|0.6MB]
Permit Process Streamlining
This document reviews the permitting process for EVSE and presents sample application forms.
Download Permit Process Streamlining [PDF|1.3MB]
Installer Best Practices
Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installers Best Practices Guide
This guide discusses various specialized aspects of the EV charging station installation process and draws useful lessons learned and best practices directly from New York State electricians that have experience with EV charging stations.
Download Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installers Best Practices Guide [PDF|8.5MB]