In 2018, California had about 31 percent of the total 48,000 electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) in the United States. A number of those are provided at hotels and hotel mixed-use properties. That means owners and franchisees have to be aware of ADA compliance regulations for the charging stations.
California’s Building Code specifies how many EVCS are necessary to meet federal ADA requirements. If your hotel provides one to four EVCS, then you must have one van-accessible EVCS. If you have five to 25 EVCS, you must provide one van-accessible and one standard-accessible EVCS.
Technical requirements for ADA-compliant EVCS include special aisles, routes and charger requirements as well as special signage.
Time at EVCS is not unlimited
It’s important to remember that an EV does not need to charge every time it is parked so hotel EVCS are charging spaces, not parking spaces.
That means the amount of time a vehicle is allowed at EVCS can be applied to all users. Handicapped-accessible vehicles cannot park in EVCS for an unlimited period – the space needs to be made available to other handicapped-accessible vehicles as well.
Accessible route requirements
The California Building Code specifies that:
- An EVCS needs to be connected to the EC charger that serves it
- The EVCS can’t be obstructed by cables or other elements
- If the EVCS serves a particular building, there should be an accessible route to the building from the EVCS
- If the EVCS doesn’t serve a particular building, there should be an accessible route to an accessible pedestrian entrance to the EVCS facility.
EVCS must be accessible to other areas of your facility such as restrooms, telephones and drinking fountains.