Installing an EV charger at an apartment building in New Zealand starts with body corporate approval, followed by a site assessment to check the building’s electrical capacity, then a feasibility report before installation begins. Unlike a standalone house, apartment installations affect shared infrastructure and common areas, so the process runs through a specialised team rather than a single electrician visit. evse.nz runs this process end to end for residents, body corporates, and property developers.
A single-house installation usually involves one electrician, one switchboard, and one car park. An apartment building involves shared infrastructure, multiple stakeholders, and often limited spare electrical capacity, which changes the process significantly.
| Step | Stage | What Happens |
| 1 | Enquiry | Submit details about the building, number of car parks, and expected charging demand |
| 2 | Initial contact | A specialised apartment team member reviews the enquiry and gets in touch to discuss the site |
| 3 | Site inspection | A site visit assesses existing electrical capacity, cable run distances, and car park layout |
| 4 | Feasibility report and proposal | A report outlines the recommended approach, the work involved, and the associated costs |
| 5 | Installation | Once the proposal is approved, installation is scheduled and carried out by licensed electricians |
Timing and requirements at each step vary depending on the building’s size, existing electrical capacity, and car park layout.
Apartment buildings generally choose between a few different approaches to rolling out EV charging, depending on current demand and future growth.
| Approach | How It Works | Best For |
| Backbone infrastructure first | Shared cabling and capacity installed once, with individual chargers added per car park as needed | Buildings expecting gradual EV uptake among residents over time |
| Individual charger installation | Each resident pays for a charger connected to their own car bay | Buildings with existing spare electrical capacity and a small number of current EV owners |
| Shared or managed chargers | A smaller number of chargers shared across multiple car parks, managed through software | Buildings with limited capacity or fewer dedicated car parks per unit |
For a resident wanting a charger connected to their own car bay, the charger is typically powered through a dedicated circuit breaker, with cabling routed to the charger location via cable tray. Each installation needs to comply with the building’s by-laws and requires body corporate approval, since it affects shared electrical systems even when the charger itself serves only one car park.
Where multiple residents charge from a shared electrical supply, a load management system keeps the building’s total electrical demand within safe limits, without requiring a full infrastructure upgrade. Charging software also allows the body corporate or property manager to monitor usage, apply a tariff rate, and bill individual residents for the electricity they use, so charging costs are recovered fairly rather than absorbed into shared building expenses.
Residents, body corporates, and property developers can start the process through evse.nz by submitting a site enquiry. A specialised apartment team then reviews the request and arranges a site inspection where required, before providing a feasibility report and formal proposal. This turnkey approach is designed to remove the need for the body corporate or an individual resident to manage electrical planning, load management, and billing setup on their own.
Yes. Since apartment charger installations affect common areas and shared electrical infrastructure, body corporate or strata approval is required before work can begin.
It depends on the building’s existing electrical capacity. Buildings with spare capacity may support individual chargers per car park, while others need backbone infrastructure or a shared, managed charging setup first.
This is agreed by the body corporate. Charging software tracks usage per resident and can bill according to a tariff rate the body corporate chooses, so costs are recovered from the residents using the chargers.
Not always. A site inspection determines whether the existing electrical infrastructure can support the proposed chargers, or whether a load management system or upgrade is needed first.
Timing depends on the building’s size and complexity. A feasibility report and proposal follow the site inspection, and installation is scheduled once the proposal is approved by the body corporate.
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