What is happening Now?  Why are companies installing EV chargers at work?

There has been a massive surge in electric vehicles sales in the United States. Companies across the nation are installing EV chargers in there workplaces to support  their employees with electric cars.  EV Chargers are now 18 percent of all new light vehicle registrations.   (article)

Companies have commitment to both sustainability and employee satisfaction, so questions regarding planning, adding, and managing new charging stations are a priority. Additionally, questions about charging employees for charging, or prioritizing charging, can pose questions and challenges unique to each company and each location. Our goal is to provide an outline in to strategies for managing EV chargers in the workplace, and other considerations.

Best Practices:

Effective strategies for managing EV chargers in the workplace.

1. Evaluate Employee Current Needs: Determine the demand for charging among employees by conducting a survey or analysis before implementing EV chargers. By utilizing this data, you can accurately determine the number of chargers required and their optimal locations, guaranteeing efficient accommodation of employee needs.

2. Effective Electric Charging Infrastructure: Smart charging infrastructure can efficiently distribute power among multiple chargers. This ensures that employees can charge their vehicles without overwhelming the electrical system or causing any interruptions.

3. Parking: Planning should include designated parking spaces. The strategy should require clearly marked and allocated EV charging spots with both standing height signage and painted spot signage. Parking facilities should have exclusively reserved spaces that are reserved solely for electric vehicles. Adding reserved spots will both promote their use, illustrate your commitment to the environment and deters non-EV users from parking in these spots.

4. Charging Scheduling: Implement a scheduling system to allocate charging times, especially in situations where charger demand exceeds supply. You have the option to manage this using a booking system or on a first-come, first-served basis.

5. Prioritize Charging: Consider the need for priority rules when setting up EV charging. For instance, give priority to employees with longer commutes or allow electric fleet vehicles to charge during working hours.

6. Maintenance and Monitoring: To ensure optimal functioning, it is important to ensure chargers are regularly maintained and monitored for any irregularities in the power or the chargers. Minimize downtime by ensuring your SLAs address your any technical issues. EnergyOne offers a wide variety of support and maintenance options for customers, ensuring high availability.

Is it appropriate to charge employees for using EV chargers?

Some factors that will play in to your decision to charge employees for charging.

Some of the factors play a part in your decision to charge a fee to charge may include; 

1. Culture:  What is your companies culture?  Will this influence your decision to charge employees for charging?  Is this a benefit you want to add?

2. Attracting Employees:  Will you benefit by adding charging by attracting higher quality, or a wider range of employees or applicants.

3. Cost Recovery: Consider charging fees to recoup some of the costs of installing EV chargers. Keeping charging rates reasonable and competitive ensures that people are encouraged to adopt electric vehicles.

4. Employee Incentives: Offering free charging can be an attractive employee benefit, encouraging more staff to adopt electric vehicles. This aligns with sustainability goals and can enhance your company’s reputation.

5. Be fair: Charging employees for EV charging should be done fairly and equitably. One option to consider is a tiered approach, where a set amount of charging is offered for free each month, with additional usage charged at a reasonable fee.

6. Legal Regulations: Be aware of local laws and regulations regarding collecting or charging fees for charging. There may be limitations in certain areas for employers to charge for EV charging.

7. Tax Implications: Offering free charging to employees may have tax implications for both the company and the employees. Consult with your accountant or tax advisors to understand any tax implications if they exist.

8. Transparency: Whatever decision you make, communicate it clearly to employees. Transparency and fairness are key to maintaining a positive workplace environment.

Managing EV chargers at work involves strategic planning, infrastructure investment, and addressing employee needs. Recovering costs while encouraging sustainability requires a delicate balance when charging employees for EV usage. The decision should ultimately align with your company’s values, legal requirements, and employee expectations for a positive and sustainable workplace.

Talk to the experts at EnergyOne who can help guide you through the conversations and process to help guide your informed decisions, as well as help plan your installation.  Contact the author for more information.  Contact or call us (480) 419-8210