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building type: A Minnesota Cooperative Association
Project Team: Gittleman Construction & Maintenance (GCM) – Electrical Division
GITTLEMAN EXPERTISE: Consulting // Electrical Services & Installation
SPECIFICS OF THIS PROJECT:
The 510 Groveland Board of Directors hired Gittleman to provide guidance on their facility’s electrical distribution system, capacity, and options for adding electric car chargers. 510 Groveland is a six-story building with 38 residential units and two levels of parking. Gittleman audited the electrical system to determine capacity and recommended the Association install one 200-amp car charging panel on each of the two garage levels. (Each 200-amp panel can accommodate eight 50-amp 208-volt chargers.) If a greater capacity is desired in the future, a third panel could be added.
How much power does an electric car need to charge? Ohms Law states that Power = Volts x Amps. Therefore, a 50-amp 240-volt circuit can transfer 12,000 watts in one hour (12 KWh). This is considered optimal for a home charger and would provide a Tesla vehicle with approximately 25 miles of range for every hour of charging. Conversely, a residential 110-volt 20-amp circuit can transfer only 2,200 watts of power in an hour (which would be impractical). High-voltage superchargers are capable of even faster charge times, but these are generally only found in shared public charging stations.
PROJECT FACTS: Gittleman has provided electrical maintenance work within 510 Groveland for over 20 years.