In 1940s, as the U.S. transitioned to a war economy, it created the National Apprenticeship Standards for the Electrical Construction Industry to ensure repurposed manufacturing facilities would be reliably retrofitted. Those standards were authored with the help of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and implemented in the nation’s first-ever apprenticeship training center at Hadley High School in St. Louis. Today, transitions for peaceful purposes still tap IBEW/NECA. For example powering electric vehicles (EV).

While every EV comes with a portable charger (known as a “Level 1” charger), it requires 16 to 20 hours to charge a battery. Far more practical is the fixed “Level 2” 240-volt charger which delivers a full charge in four to six hours, depending on the kilowatt hours of the battery system installed.

In 2011, key stakeholders in the EV industry —automakers, utility companies and charging station manufacturers — teamed with the electrical industry to establish a national infrastructure installation standard for fixed charging stations. In St. Louis, the effort included the Electrical Connection partnership.

More than 200 IBEW members and 19 IBEW/NECA contractors have completed EVITP training.

As technology develops to support powering EVs to and from their destinations, home and business owners should consider the following:

• Most homes with 200-amp service should have sufficient power to add a fixed charging station, typically mounted to a garage wall. A survey of a home’s electrical system, though, may be required.
• Only licensed, qualified electrical contractors who obtain proper permits should perform the installation in keeping with local code and the EV charging systems standard in the National Electrical Code (Article 625).
• Destination installations are more challenging. Most existing parking facilities don’t have the power capacity to support EV chargers. That means parking facility owners will look to qualified contractors to solve load and power supply issues. Meanwhile, new construction projects are including the power infrastructure required to meet projected EV charging demand. Associated issues for all owners to resolve will be intra-lot traffic flow, EV parking space signage, ADA compliance and how the overall configuration works for EV and non-EV drivers.

Through its Electrical Connection partnership, IBEW/NECA continually engages businesses, homeowners, healthcare, advance manufacturing, data storage, power and educational institutions to refine the energy curriculum at the training center. In just the last 15 years, that has included the voice/data/video connectivity needs of the digital age, the integration of solar and alternative energy sources, and modernizing traditional power, including meeting new emissions standards. Now, what one could term “mobile electrification,” has reshaped our curriculum.

This 70-plus year investment in training is entirely self funded by members of the Electrical Connection IBEW/NECA at no cost to taxpayers. Our apprentices pay nothing for this education as part of our commitment to meeting the needs of the construction consumer. As it has proved in the past and continues to prove today, our training center remains a proven, pliable resource dedicated to powering our future. Learn more at www.electricalconnection.org.