More car parks are adding EV charging. This affects lighting projects in ways that aren’t always obvious. I’ve been on several projects where the lighting retrofit and EV infrastructure installation collided—sometimes smoothly, sometimes not.

Here’s what you need to know about coordinating these systems.

The Electrical Convergence

Car park LED upgrades and EV charging share something: they both connect to the building’s electrical infrastructure.

LED lighting: Reduces electrical load. A typical car park LED retrofit might cut lighting consumption from 50kW to 20kW.

EV charging: Increases electrical load. Ten 7kW chargers add 70kW of potential demand.

Doing both at once creates interesting opportunities. The reduced lighting load creates headroom for charging without upgrading the main switchboard or supply.

This is rarely planned proactively. Usually, the lighting contractor does their thing, then six months later someone asks about EV charging and discovers there’s now capacity available.

Better to plan together.

Coordinating the Projects

If your building is considering both LED lighting upgrades and EV charging, coordinate them:

Electrical Assessment First

Before designing either project, get a comprehensive electrical assessment:

• Current maximum demand
• Existing lighting load (measured, not calculated)
• Available capacity for additional loads
• Main switchboard capacity and configuration
• Supply capacity from the network

This assessment informs both projects.

Shared Infrastructure

Some infrastructure elements can serve both:

• Sub-distribution boards in the car park
• Cable routes through the structure
• Metering and monitoring systems

Installing lighting and EV infrastructure together can share mobilisation costs, disruption windows, and some common elements.

Sequencing

If doing both, I’d typically recommend:

• LED lighting first (reduces load, creates capacity)
• EV infrastructure second (consumes some of that capacity)

But if the projects are close together, doing them simultaneously makes sense.

Load Management Considerations

EV charging load management is becoming sophisticated. Rather than assuming all chargers run at full power simultaneously, smart charging systems modulate output based on:

• Available building capacity
• Grid signals (time of use pricing)
• User priority and booking
• Vehicle state of charge

Some systems include lighting in this load management picture. If the building is approaching its maximum demand, non-essential loads reduce. Lighting might dim slightly (saving 10-20%) while chargers throttle output.

This requires integration between lighting controls and building/EV management systems. It’s not simple, but for buildings with significant charging infrastructure, it’s increasingly relevant.

Car Park Lighting Design Changes

EV charging affects car park lighting design in subtle ways:

Charging Bay Lighting

EV charging bays benefit from slightly different lighting than regular parking:

• Users interact with chargers (plugging in, checking displays)
• Higher visibility reduces vandalism and theft concerns
• Some chargers have displays that wash out in bright light

I typically recommend 100-150 lux at charging bays versus 50-75 lux in general parking. A focused luminaire above each charging bay works well.

Waiting Area Lighting

Some car parks are adding waiting areas near charging—seating while fast chargers work. These need higher light levels and better quality than standard car park lighting.

Emergency Considerations

EV charging creates specific emergency scenarios:

• Vehicle fires (different from petrol vehicle fires)
• Electrical faults at chargers
• First responder access requirements

Emergency lighting needs to support evacuation and emergency response around charging infrastructure.

The Smart Building Connection

For buildings treating car park systems holistically, there’s potential for intelligent coordination:

• Access control knows which vehicles are present
• EV management knows which are charging and for how long
• Lighting responds to actual occupancy
• Energy management optimises across all loads

This level of integration requires building automation expertise beyond standard electrical contracting. AI consultants Melbourne and similar building technology specialists work on exactly these kinds of multi-system integration projects, connecting lighting, EV charging, access, and energy management into coordinated intelligent systems.

But it starts with the individual systems being control-ready.

Practical Advice for Lighting Contractors

If you’re doing car park LED retrofits and EV charging is on the horizon:

Document the Load Reduction

Before and after measurements of actual lighting load help demonstrate the capacity freed up for EV charging. This information is valuable for subsequent EV planning.

Install Control-Ready Infrastructure

Even if basic switching is the current requirement, consider installing DALI or wireless control capability. This enables future integration with building management and EV systems.

Coordinate with EV Contractors

If EV installation is happening concurrently, communicate. Share cable routes, coordinate access, avoid conflicting work. Simple coordination prevents expensive conflicts.

Leave Future Capacity

If running new sub-distribution to the car park, consider sizing for both lighting and some EV load even if EV isn’t happening immediately.

Regulatory Developments

Regulations are evolving around EV infrastructure:

National Construction Code: Now includes provisions for EV charging in new buildings, affecting car park electrical design.

State planning requirements: Some jurisdictions require EV readiness in new developments and major renovations.

Body corporate considerations: Strata buildings face complex allocation of EV charging costs and infrastructure.

Lighting contractors should be aware of these requirements when planning car park work. The electrical infrastructure conversation is broader than just lighting.

Case Study: Mixed-Use Retail Centre

A recent project illustrates the coordination opportunity.

Existing situation: 400-bay car park with aging fluorescent lighting. No EV charging. Building approaching supply limit.

LED retrofit: Reduced lighting load from 48kW to 16kW—a 32kW saving.

EV phase 1: Installed 20 charging points using the freed capacity. Smart load management keeps total demand within existing supply.

Result: Both projects completed without supply upgrade, saving approximately $200,000 in infrastructure costs.

The coordination was deliberate. Both projects were scoped together, shared an electrical engineering consultant, and were sequenced appropriately.

Looking Ahead

EV adoption is accelerating. Every commercial car park will eventually need charging infrastructure. The question is when and how much.

LED lighting retrofits create capacity for that future. Done thoughtfully, they’re not just energy efficiency projects—they’re infrastructure preparation.

When scoping car park lighting work, ask about EV plans. The answer affects the project design.

James Thornton has been working in commercial lighting for 18 years and is based in Australia.