EV charger rules for apartments to be drafted in 3-6 months

Taipei, March 13 (CNA) Deputy Interior Minister Dong Jian-hong (董建宏) said Thursday that his ministry hopes to propose draft amendments for regulations relating to electronic vehicle (EV) chargers in apartment buildings within three to six months.

Reporting to the Legislature, Dong said the review of relevant regulations will take time. For instance, the Architecture and Building Research Institute (ABRI) will conduct experiments to assess technical aspects, particularly ventilation devices, to ensure safety in underground parking lots.

Dong said the Building Technical Regulations amendments in 2019 stipulated that new buildings need to reserve space for EV chargers.

As for setting up, taking down, repairing or improving of charging devices in existing apartments, relevant decisions should be made by the management committee after obtaining a consensus in a unit owner assembly, in accordance with the Condominium Administration Act Building Administration Division, he said.

The ministry will continue to restock fire safety equipment, hold rescue training, discuss measures on the location of the chargers and building and fire safety management, as well as study the feasibility of adding ventilation equipment and fire compartmentation in indoor parking spaces.

Regarding disaster relief and preparation, National Fire Agency Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) said the regulations on setting up automatic sprinklers in parking lots have been implemented, with 338 sprinklers set up and more to come. Relief preparations in local governments are also in place.

As for the schedule on fire safety regulations for EV chargers, Hsiao said the ABRI will turn in the results on parking lot ventilation equipment and fire compartmentation studies within the year.

The agency will also discuss whether to conduct a pilot program on fire compartmentation in a public building, which will also be carried out within the year.

The National Land Management Agency Director-General Wu Hsin-hsou (吳欣修) said that there have been many discussions in apartment management committees about EV chargers, but among the over 40,000 apartments with management committees, most have not reached a consensus.

Responding to a query about the current rules stipulating that EV chargers can only be set up if over two thirds of management committee members agreed, Wu said that there has been discussions on lowering the threshold, but safety and car owner responsibilities have to be clarified before a proposal, because the Executive Yuan wants to prioritize safety standards.