Site Planning and Placement

This section outlines general planning and placement requirements for Express Solo sites.

Initial Site Guidelines

The site designer must perform an onsite evaluation to determine conduit and wiring requirements from the panel to the proposed charging locations, and to measure cellular signal levels and identify suitable locations for any required cellular signal‑booster equipment.

If you have pre-existing infrastructure or are using your own preferred electrical contractor to prepare your site, an Express Solo Construction Signoff Form completed by a ChargePoint Operations and Maintenance (O&M) partner is required to certify compliance with electrical code and to ensure everything was prepared to ChargePoint specifications.

Plan for Future Charging Capacity

Designing electrical infrastructure to support current and future needs for EV Electric Vehicle charging helps avoid costly upgrades later as demand for EV Electric Vehicle charging grows.

Consider these methods to prepare a site for future charging stations in a later phase of work:

• Add extra capacity if electrical panels are being upgraded now.

• Use sub-panels as a way to shorten electrical paths.

• Maximize the conduit and conductor sizes (to product specifications) between the main electrical panel and future stations, to prevent needing to re-pull wire later.

• Below-ground wiring can be pre-staged if the correct site construction is performed in advance. Allowed terminations include a distribution unit, junction box, or plugged conduit. This eases cable pulls for future stations.

• Consider locations and spaces where it will be easy to add future stations.

System Placement

The placement of the Express Solo solution must meet the following requirements:

• Do not install Express Solo in a Class 1 hazardous location, as classified by NEC National Electric Code or local codes.
• Site conditions must be compatible with the following specifications listed in the Express Solo Datasheet:
  • Operational altitude
  • Operating temperature
  • Operating humidity
  • Enclosure rating
• Express Solo must be installed on a level concrete surface rated for the weight of the station.
The charging station must be installed on a level concrete base rated for the weight of the station. Asphalt cannot support the full weight of the station. Failure to install the station on a suitable surface may cause the station to tip over, resulting in death, personal injury, or property damage.

Layout considerations:

• Determine appropriate ground anchoring locations where concrete exists or can be installed.

• Consider locations where it will be easy to add future stations.

• If using conduits to pull wires, determine the best conduit layout to minimize linear conduit costs to multiple parking spaces. If possible, avoid or minimize trenching requirements, especially more costly trenching to run conduit under asphalt surfaces.

• Determine if the existing utility service and electrical panel capacity is sufficient. Identify costs for any necessary upgrades and/or a new dedicated electrical panel. ChargePoint recommends using a licensed electrician to evaluate available capacity and identify any upgrades that may be required.

• If a dedicated EV Electric Vehicle electrical panel is required, choose a panel located close to the existing electrical supply.

• Measure cellular signal levels to ensure adequate cellular coverage at the station locations. To ensure adequate signal strength in underground or enclosed parking structures, cellular repeaters may be required. For more information, see Connectivity.

• ChargePoint recommends avoiding locations under trees where sap, pollen, or leaves would fall on the charging station and increase the station owner’s site maintenance workload.

Guidelines for Different Parking Arrangements

• Choose adjacent parking spaces in an area with adequate lighting.

• Consider how easily drivers can find the stations they need to access.

• Check local requirements for accessibility and pathway width, sometimes called “path of travel”, to ensure that station placement does not restrict sidewalk use.

• A pad built into the head of a parking space (instead of on the sidewalk) is allowed if local code allows it compared to the minimum parking space length, and the pad meets all pad requirements listed in this document.

Cable reach

The following table provides the maximum cable reach from the station to charge port on a vehicle:

Cable Reach Specifications

		Overhead CMK Cable Management Kit	Swingarm CMK Cable Management Kit	Fixed Tether Point
Cable length		7.6 m (25 ft)	5.2 m (17 ft 0.8 in)	5 m (16 ft 4.9 in)
Cable reach	Horizontal or vertical reach	Horizontal (a)	4.2 m (13 ft 9.4 in) Horizontal (b)	3 m (9 ft 10.1 in) Horizontal (c)
	Height above ground	0.6 m (2 ft) (d)

Commercial or public station placement, single or dual cable

For stall parking, ChargePoint recommends using perpendicular parking stalls that allow a vehicle to enter either front-first or rear-first, to better accommodate the varied locations of EV Electric Vehicle charge ports.

The wheel stops are 900 mm (35.4 in) wide and are placed at a distance of 914.4 mm (3 ft) from the front of each stall.

This illustration depicts a charging station with a dual cable.

(a) Cable reach radius:

• Fixed tether point: 3 m (9 ft 10.1 in)

• Swingarm CMK Cable Management Kit: 4.2 m (13 ft 9.4 in)