WHITE PAPER: How HOA Boards Can Use the Initial EV Infrastructure Assessment Checklist
Executive Summary
As electric vehicle adoption accelerates, condominium associations increasingly face questions about whether their building is “ready” for EV charging. In practice, readiness is less about enthusiasm and more about preparation. The Initial EV Infrastructure Physical Assessment Checklist is designed to help HOA boards understand exactly what information and materials are needed before a meaningful EV infrastructure strategy can be developed.
The checklist does not require technical expertise. Instead, it functions as a structured inventory of what the association already knows and what remains to be discovered. The more items that can be checked as completed, the fewer assumptions must be made later, reducing cost, delays, and redesign.
Why the Checklist Matters
Each checklist item includes two columns:
Association Has / Completed: The association already has the document, information, or site condition confirmed.
Future Phase Required: The item is missing and will need to be addressed later through site investigation, professional services, or policy development.
Boards should review the checklist collectively, ideally with the property manager or onsite engineer present. The exercise often reveals that critical information exists but is dispersed across vendors, prior projects, or archived records.
What the Checklist Covers
The checklist is organized to reflect how EV infrastructure projects are evaluated in practice.
Building and Electrical Documentation
As-built architectural drawings, electrical one-line diagrams, and panel schedules allow planners to understand spatial constraints and electrical topology without guesswork. When these documents are missing or outdated, additional field work is required before design can begin.
Utility and Load History
Access to historical electric bills and demand data provides insight into how much unused capacity may exist. Five years of data is typically sufficient to identify seasonal patterns and peak demand conditions that affect EV charging feasibility.
Parking Configuration and Ownership
EV charging is fundamentally tied to parking. Plans that clearly identify space numbering, deeded ownership, and common or limited common areas are essential for determining who can be served, how costs are allocated, and what approvals are required.
Existing Conditions and Infrastructure
Current photos of parking areas and electrical rooms allow offsite professionals to identify constraints early. Knowledge of LED lighting upgrades, spare conduit capacity, and structural limitations directly influences how efficiently charging infrastructure can be deployed.
Operations, Personnel, and Governance
An onsite engineer who understands the building’s systems can significantly reduce discovery time. Likewise, draft or enacted EV-related by-laws help ensure that technical solutions align with the association’s legal and governance framework.
Interpreting the Results
The checklist is not pass or fail. It is diagnostic.
High completion indicates that the association is well-positioned to proceed directly into a comprehensive EV infrastructure strategy.
Partial completion suggests that planning can begin, but with clearly identified information gaps.
Low completion signals that early discovery and documentation should be prioritized before evaluating design or cost options.
In all cases, the checklist helps boards avoid premature decisions based on incomplete information.
A Tool for Better Decisions
The intent of the checklist is to support informed governance. By clarifying what is known and what is not, HOA boards can engage engineers, installers, and consultants more effectively, compare proposals on an equal footing, and set realistic expectations for residents.
At Ready EV Now, we use this checklist as the foundation for every initial assessment. It allows strategy development to focus on solutions rather than discovery, ultimately saving time, reducing risk, and enabling scalable EV charging infrastructure that aligns with the building’s physical and financial realities.
