USA: Israel: Regulations Adopted Requiring Construction of Electric-Car Charging Infrastructure for Buildings with Multiple Residential Units

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

On September 8, 2022, Israel’s interior minister, Ayelet Shaked, exercising her authority under section 265 of the Planning and Construction Law, 5725-1965, as amended, signed regulations requiring the installation of electric-car charging infrastructure in new building construction requests submitted on or after March 7, 2023. (Planning and Construction Regulations (Installation of Parking Spaces) (Amendment), 5782-2022, KT 5782 No. 10326 p. 4042.)

The requirement for installing electric-car charging infrastructure applies to all buildings that have at least two floors and six housing units. Buildings with mechanical parking facilities, in which vehicles are transported to and from parking spaces by mechanical means and not by the driver, are excepted from the requirement.

Electric-car charging infrastructure must include one or several electrical panels for charging electric vehicles. They must be connected to the electric grid and suitable for feeding electric-car charging devices for all the parking spaces assigned to residential apartments in the building. Under the regulations, the size of the electrical connection to the electrical panel must not be less than 3 kilowatts multiplied by 20% of the number of parking spaces (minimum required power).

Some business owners have expressed criticism of the regulations. According to the CEO of an Israeli charging company, the minimum power required for the charging stations was insufficient and would reduce the ability to charge several cars at the same time. Sharing the concern, the CEO of an Israeli hydrogen fuel cell company expressed the view that “[t]his is a populist regulation that has no feasibility, and the probability that it will be implemented is very close to zero … in densely populated urban areas.” In his opinion, the minimum required power prescribed by the regulations would not fully satisfy the charging needs of the average Israeli driver, and Israel’s Electric Corporation would not be able to sustain even a modest additional supply, a problem that could arguably be addressed by developing alternative green energy sources.

Ruth Levush, Law Library of Congress

November 16, 2022

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