Intl. Code Council publishes EV and building codes resource

The International Code Council has published a new educational resource on electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and building codes.

Electric Vehicles and Building Codes: A Strategy for Greenhouse Gas Reductions is the first in a series of publications to support communities in achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals in a safe and efficient manner, according to an ICC news release. The resource presents solutions already implemented by jurisdictions that have enacted policies aimed at supporting increased EV deployment.

The model language in the resource is intended to provide communities with approaches that can reflect local needs and enable policies and guidelines to be integrated into the International Codes (I-Codes) family of building safety solutions. The Code Council’s resource is largely consistent with the technical brief on Electric Vehicle Charging for Residential and Commercial Energy Codes released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in July 2021.

But the ICC publication provides flexibility for local jurisdictions on the number and type of EV spaces and reflects additional feedback received from a diverse set of stakeholders.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.