EV Charging Station Regulation in Türkiye: What Is Mandatory in Apartment Buildings, Car Parks and Shopping Centres?

In Türkiye, the installation of an EV charging station is covered not by a single set of rules but by two independent frameworks. Which one applies to you depends on where the unit will be installed and for what purpose it will be used.

• The building side (the Parking Regulation): it sets out how much charging infrastructure newly constructed buildings must have.
• The commercial service side (the EPDK Charging Service Regulation): it governs the provision of public, paid charging services.

A unit you install to charge your own car in your own car park is not the subject of the second framework. In practice, the distinction starts here.

The Parking Regulation: what is mandatory in new buildings?

The Parking Regulation was published in the Official Gazette of 22 February 2018, issue 30340; the provisions on charging infrastructure were added by the amendment published in the Official Gazette of 25 March 2021, issue 31434. The obligations differ according to the type of building:

The point to note is this: these requirements are checked at the time of the building permit application and apply to buildings yet to be constructed. Administrations may decide to increase the number of parking spaces for electric vehicles as needed.

What about existing buildings?

There is no obligation to install a charging unit in buildings that have already been constructed. On the other hand, rules have been introduced that make installation easier: no building permit is required for charging units to be installed in the car parks of existing residential complexes and apartment buildings.

So for a flat owner who wants to install a charging unit in an existing building, the issue is not a legal obstacle but mostly the decision-making process and whether the electrical infrastructure is suitable.

Installing in the common area of an apartment building: how many votes are needed?

Installing a charging unit in a car park located in the common area previously required the approval of four fifths (%80) of the flat owners. With the circular sent to the provinces by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, charging units in common areas were taken out of the scope of construction work and the approval threshold was lowered to an absolute majority, that is, more than half of the flat owners.

• The decision can be taken by adding it to the agenda of the ordinary general assembly or at an extraordinary meeting.
• The decision taken must be recorded in the minutes.
• The opinion of the relevant distribution company is obtained for the electrical connection.
• Installation in an enclosed garage that is your own independent section falls outside this process.

If you are going to provide a commercial charging service: the EPDK licence

The Charging Service Regulation for Electric Vehicles of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority came into force on 2 April 2022. Anyone wishing to provide a public charging service for commercial purposes must obtain a Charging Network Operator Licence from EPDK.

This is not the same as a unit where the residents of a building charge their own cars. However, if you are considering opening the unit inside your complex to outsiders for a fee, the matter falls directly within the scope of this regulation.

Building the infrastructure properly, even where it is not mandatory

The regulation sets a minimum requirement; a sound installation usually calls for more than that. The three issues most often encountered in shared car parks are these:

• Electrical capacity: the building's existing connection may not support several units at the same time. Units that perform load management (dynamic power sharing) can solve this without increasing capacity.
• Who used how much: consumption in a common area needs to be attributed to individuals. Models that identify users via an RFID card or a mobile app make this possible; on models with a meter, consumption can be read from the device.
• Future growth: if there are two cars today, there may be six tomorrow. If the cable route and the board capacity are planned for this from the start, later installations become far cheaper.

The Bemis Charger Plus 2 and Pro 2 models are OCPP compatible, support load sharing and identify users via RFID; on versions with a MID meter, consumption can be tracked from the device. In common-area scenarios these three features should be considered together.

Important note

This article is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Legislation may change; we recommend confirming the current version of the provisions above through the Official Gazette or the relevant administration, and consulting a qualified electrical project engineer and the building management before proceeding.