New Design Criteria Yet for EV Charging Stations?

2/8/2024

Is there any adopted or proposed sprinkler design criteria for Electric Vehicle charging stations that will be included in new parking garages?

The 2022 Edition of NFPA 13 is increasing the design for parking garages from Ordinary Hazard Group I to Group II, but I have not found anything about protecting the charging stations.

Thanks in advance.

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11 Comments

Pete H

2/8/2024 06:41:36 am

FM Data sheets have also increased the hazard category for parking garages and car parks from a category 2 to a category 3.

New to the 2023 edition of NFPA 88A, all parking garages are required to have sprinkler systems in accordance with NFPA 13, before 2023, sprinklers were not required in open parking structures.

Source:

https://www.nfpa.org/news-blogs-and-articles/blogs/2022/11/28/evs-and-parking-structures

Chad

2/8/2024 08:24:13 am

San Francisco FD has a new ordinance regarding that.

EH2 over the area of the charger in a garage!

https://sf-fire.org/files/2022-11/4.29%20%20Sprinkler%20Protections%20Requirements%20for%20Parking%20Spaces%20Associated%20with%20Electric%20Vehicles%20%28EV%29%20Charging%20Stations%202022.pdf

Ricardo Gonzales Jr

2/8/2024 09:42:02 am

Is there a requirement for the sprinkler system to activate an EPO? Water and Electricity don't mix safely and the mix makes electrocution very possible.

Franck

2/8/2024 02:45:18 pm

Unfortunately with li-ion batteries, the only solution is water. Huge amounts of water…
And for a long time.
So more than the density itself, the duration of the water supply might be a new concern and provision of additional hydrants/hoses might be necessary.
A fire on one EV = 3 fire trucks

In some countries in Europe the FD comes on site with a transportable water tank to dump the EV inside.

Tony Bowers

2/8/2024 11:50:17 am

Miami-Dade now requires EH2 in the area of the charging station and an additional hose valve(s) on the floors the charging stations are present in parking garages.

L Scott

10/13/2025 12:02:44 pm

Do you know where Miami-Dade posts their local requirements?

Jesse

2/8/2024 01:35:33 pm

This is, in my humble opinion, the biggest issue NFPA is facing today. So much of the standards and codes that govern what we do are derived from loss experience .Effectively, its a super large scale trial and error model.

Previous iterations of NFPA 13 couldn't really comprehend the scale of this problem several years ago. And now it seems we're playing catch-up. A lot of AJs are requiring EH2 densities for EV charging stations. Will it work? Maybe. Hope so. HAs there been any full-scale testing to support it? Not so much. Is EH2 hydraulically adequate? Maybe we don't know yet...

franck

2/8/2024 02:39:55 pm

In Europe, it is going to the equivalent of EH gr 1 to 2.
EH Gr 1 makes some sense as it would be similar to the actual density requirement for ESS with Li-ion batteries (0.3/2500) - see NFPA 855.
But EH gr1 is already what should be required for parking structures with other vehicles (combustible load has changed with more plastic and electronics and fire spread has increased with the provision of plastic tanks compared to metallic ones in the past). I know that at the moment it is still OH gr 2 per NFPA. Possible change in the future ?

But there is no defined standard to date as this is a new emerging risk.

EH gr 2 is on the safe side. But maybe really conservative.
My gut feeling is that EH gr 1 is already fine for control mode. But this is my personal opinion, not a standard and not based on actual test results.

Todd E Wyatt

2/9/2024 08:40:23 am

The scoping Code (e.g. IBC-2021) determines WHERE an automatic sprinkler system (ASPS) is required to be installed based on the building’s/structure’s Occupancy Classification (OC) and/or Specific Building Areas and Hazards (per IBC-2021 903.2.11).

A parking garage (PG) is classified as a Group S-2 OC and is required to be protected by an ASPS per 903.2.10 (see REFERENCES below) meeting any of the (3) conditions listed.

HOW a building’s/structure’s ASPS is to be designed, installed, inspected, and maintained is per the Reference Standard(s) listed by the scoping Code (e.g. IBC-2021). The Referenced Standard for ASPS for S-2 OC per IBC-2021 is NFPA 13-2019.

The scoping Code does not (currently) include requirements of the ASPS for EV Charging Stations. “Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Systems” have requirements per IBC-2021 406.2.7 but this does not include ASPS requirements.

REFERENCES
IBC-2021
Chapter 9 Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems
Section 903 Automatic Sprinkler Systems
903.2 Where Required
Approved automatic sprinkler systems in new buildings and structures shall be provided in the locations described in Sections 903.2.1 through 903.2.12.
903.2.10 Group S-2 Parking Garages
An automatic sprinkler system shall be provided throughout buildings classified as parking garages where any of the following conditions exists:
1. Where the fire area of the enclosed parking garage in accordance with Section 406.6 exceeds 12,000 square feet (1115 m2).
2. Where the enclosed parking garage in accordance with Section 406.6 is located beneath other groups.
Exception: Enclosed parking garages located beneath Group R-3 occupancies.
3. Where the fire area of the open parking garage in accordance with Section 406.5 exceeds 48,000 square feet (4460 m2).
903.2.10.1 Commercial Parking Garages
An automatic sprinkler system shall be provided throughout buildings used for storage of commercial motor vehicles where the fire area exceeds 5,000 square feet (464 m2).
903.2.10.2 Mechanical-Access Enclosed Parking Garages
An approved automatic sprinkler system shall be provided throughout buildings used for the storage of motor vehicles in a mechanical-access enclosed parking garage. The portion of the building that contains the mechanical-access enclosed parking garage shall be protected with a specially engineered automatic sprinkler system.

Chapter 35 Referenced Standards
UL
2202—2009
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging System Equipment-with Revisions through February 2018
406.2.7

Section 406 Motor-Vehicle-Related Occupancies
406.2.7 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Systems
Where provided, electric vehicle charging systems shall be installed in accordance with NFPA 70. Electric vehicle charging system equipment shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2202. Electric vehicle supply equipment shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2594. Accessibility to electric vehicle charging stations shall be provided in accordance with Section 1107.

Logan

5/23/2025 02:56:58 pm

Hey everyone. Seeing if anyone has seen an update for this since last year.

NorCal FPE

5/28/2025 06:11:17 pm

Hi Logan,
Unfortunately, no real updates and mind you a year is a very short time in the codemaking process. Several jurisdictions are going with the nuclear option of providing EH2 without any substantiation except that's the most they can required.
The problem is, these are shielded fires, meaning the best we can do is control fire spread. Which, technically, is what most sprinkler systems are designed for, hence the phrase Control Mode Design Area. However, too many AHJs have seen unsprinklered parking garage fires and only see the fire spread. The recent Jacksonville Airport fire is a good example.
There are other solutions like HFC's F-500 that are infinitely more capable of controlling these fires, yet somehow a 20-year old solution (and there are other companies) is flying under the radar. Nothing like sensationalism to get in the way of science here. No one objected to FARS being a sole-source product required by codes, yet somehow requiring a different product other than old fashioned water is not being considered despite evidence to the contrary.
What we need here is a bit of funding to test the effectiveness of various systems. Otherwise, we're greatly increasing water supplies, pump sizes, etc. and the overall cost of these increases are prohibitive to construction. For example, in a high rise, EH2 would increase the size of a typical 30k gal tank 4x to 120k gal or more. Some owners are simply not providing garages, which make a lot of sense when you introduce 200+ units to a single block where parking is already scarce.
And this is not just limited to vehicular parking, but e-mobility devices, despite testing showing that even a 13 D system would be effective enough to prevent the spread of one of those fires.
I sure hope the next update is a bit more positive, whether that be tomorrow or 10 years from now.
Best,
NorCal FPE

New Design Criteria Yet for EV Charging Stations?

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