One of the most frequently underestimated aspects of commercial EV charging station projects is the electrical infrastructure required to support them. The charge points themselves are only the visible tip of the iceberg; below the surface sits a grid of engineering considerations that determine whether a project is viable, what it will cost, and how long it will take.
Every commercial site draws electricity from the distribution network through a connection provided and maintained by a Distribution Network Operator (DNO), the regional body responsible for the wires between the national transmission network and your meter. Before installing commercial electric vehicle charging stations above a certain power threshold, you must apply to your DNO for a connection assessment. This establishes whether your existing connection has sufficient capacity, or whether an upgrade, at additional cost, will be required.
The DNO connection process is frequently the longest lead-time item in an EV charging project. Applications for significant reinforcement works can take months to process, and in some cases the DNO’s own network may require upstream upgrades before new capacity can be made available to your site. Managing this process proactively is critical to keeping projects on programme.