A Greater Boston multifamily development met code requirements without overbuilding electrical infrastructure

The development needed a code-compliant EV charging plan under a local specialized energy code that required installed charging for 20% of parking spaces. The original design path assumed three 400A panels would be necessary to support 66 charging ports.

That approach would have increased equipment cost, utility coordination, labor, and installation complexity. At the same time, the garage had structural and ceiling constraints that made a standard charger layout difficult.

PlugOp reviewed the electrical design and ran panel schedule analysis using its Automatic Load Management System. Instead of assuming every charger would draw full output at once, the team modeled a managed charging approach that shared available capacity across ports.

PlugOp also worked through charger placement, pedestal configuration, cable management, and garage mounting constraints so the charging plan fit the existing building design instead of forcing a redesign around standard equipment assumptions.

The project moved from a more expensive compliance path to a leaner one that still satisfied the local mandate. Reducing planned infrastructure from three panels to one lowered expected electrical and utility costs while simplifying the build.

PlugOp also identified and managed a National Grid rebate opportunity, which added approximately $160,000 in savings and improved the economics of the deployment even further.