Electric vehicles

[lyledunn]

We have recently been accredited by OLEV for both the home and workplace schemes. This follows a considerable amount of research on the subject as I not only have the design and installation side but I have set up the City and Guilds assessment for the EV course at several centres where I will be tutoring on the subject.
There is huge demand for the course with a noticeable increase following Bojos announcement to bring forward the dispatch of the petrol and diesel vehicles.
The COP for electric vehicle supply equipment issued by the IET deliberates mostly on issues relating to electric shock. However, the elephant in the room is the serious potential for a huge increase in fires in the electrical intake, especially in the domestic sector. The charge points will draw circa 32A for long periods and with the clamour for these devices on the horizon, I can envisage the a combination of cheap equipment and botched installs causing more frequent sittings of blue flashing lights on red engines!

[Messy]

Our EV Fire safety policy is largely based in the RiscAuthority's RC59 document.

https://www.riscauthority.co.uk//index.cfm?originalUrl=free-document-library/RISCAuthority-Library_detail.rc59-risk-control-fire-safety-when-charging-electric-vehicles.html&_tkn=4ACAE886%2D6894%2D45CE%2DB3747FDC7291F70C

Its a good document that we have added to, but I fear that as it's 8 years old, it might be a bit outdated. I wonder does anyone know if any more recent standards have been published ?

[Messy]

The charge points will draw circa 32A for long periods and with the clamour for these devices on the horizon, I can envisage the a combination of cheap equipment and botched installs causing more frequent sittings of blue flashing lights on red engines!

We are using some 3-phase, 60amps per phase rapid chargers, inside with some in premises with no fire suppression and others in sprinklered car parks but no AFD. They will of course be fitted and maintained by a competent person, plus we are using increased separation between vehicles. In one new installation, rapid chargers are isolated by the fire alarm system.

A bigger issue for us at the moment -especially in London- is e-scooters being bought in and charged up under office desks and other undesirable places. I want them all banned from within buildings, but managers are taking their time making a decision 

[lyledunn]

ThanK you Messy, an interesting read. The document generally concerns itself with places where control measures would be expected to be implemented and managed. My concern is in the domestic side of things where fire safety is not co-ordinated to the same extent as the workplace. Consumer units are often hidden away below stairs and surrounded by all sorts of stored items. Commercial imperative will likely see the EVSE circuits being stuck in to already over-populated distribution equipment. The IET has concentrated on electric shock protection and became absorbed with the issue of open PEN and failed to properly consider the much bigger risk from fire.