How to maximise EV charging within the workplace

Accessible charging facilities are becoming increasingly important as we head towards tighter restrictions in 2030. Having EV chargers fitted in the workplace isn’t just about making sure your staff have access to chargers, there are so many more benefits. This blog explores the advantages of chargers in the workplace and how you can maximise your EV charging offer.

What are the right chargers for you? No one size fits all

Installing workplace chargers is a major investment for any organisation. Therefore, each business must research and plan before having chargers fitted. Just putting a 7kW charger on a wall, near a car park space and saying there is a charger available isn’t cost-effective and shows there has been no thought into future expansion.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to workplace charging. Some companies will have a large fleet of EVs. Others will be encouraging visitors by offering a charging facility on their business premises. Another factor to consider is how long EV users will be on site. If they are only visiting for 2-3 hours, then maybe a 7kW unit isn’t the best choice of charger. If you have a lot of visitors wanting to use a charger throughout the day, a DC charger would be more beneficial (providing the electrical capacity is available) to ensure drivers are in and out with a decent amount of charge.

Having a clear understanding of the spare load available on your premises is important when having EV chargers fitted. A business may have a three-phase 100a supply but if they are running close to capacity daily, fitting four 22kW (63a each) chargers isn’t going to be cost-effective as they won’t see the full benefit of the chargers.

Free standing units ensure cables from chargers aren't impeding on walkways.

The EV charger market has advanced at a rapid rate over the last 3-5 years with the dawn of smart chargers and there are some excellent static and dynamic load balancing features available with most manufacturers. This will give business owners peace of mind that adding high-powered sockets won’t interfere with the day-to-day running of their business.

Making them accessible

For businesses looking to offer a charging service to staff and members of the general public, it’s imperative these units are accessible. This means they are clearly signposted within the car park; the bays are marked out with EV charging only so that motorists can find them when they arrive.

Clear instructions on how to initiate a charge and the tariffs involved are also important. Many studies have shown one of the biggest factors against using public chargers is the lack of information on where the chargers are and how to use them. EV chargers are still a relatively new technological product, and it is normal human behaviour to dismiss something if they have a negative experience the first time, they use something they don’t fully understand.

As part of the planning process, businesses will need to decide how they want to advertise their chargers, what apps they can add them to, and how open they want them to be to the public. It is also crucial to do some research on the pence per kW rate to charge, by seeing what other chargers in the area are offering to ensure they don’t price themselves out.

Facilities for Fleet users

A robust and reliable performing chargepoint system must be in place when offering charging facilities for fleet users. Chargepoint downtime will not only bring productivity to a halt but will also create a negative impact on employee’s day-to-day working lives.

Employees need a clear charging plan and procedure in place to ensure, they understand the charging facilities available to them. This includes the speed of chargers as well as how long a vehicle will take to charge, ensuring they can plan their day or days around charge time.

It’s also important that the chargers available to staff are easy to use. Having them set up on complicated apps that require inputting loads of personal information is only going to put them off using the chargers. Most units can now be set to free vend or be activated with the swipe of an RFID card, thus preventing any complicated process of activating a charge.

Ensure aftercare procedures are in place

Having a contact and an EV chargepoint specialist team available to you 24/7 is as important as having the charges installed in the first place. There is no point in installing 10 new three-phase chargers if you don’t have an aftercare plan in place to assist in resolving any issues that may occur.

Most installers will be able to provide an aftercare plan, this should be discussed during the initial tendering process or at the latest during the installation process.

Businesses need to have the peace of mind that if a charger goes into fault the downtime is at a minimum and there is a local company they can contact to resolve any issues. The longer a charge point is down the more of an impact this will have on day-to-day operations.

EV Motion provides 24/7 365 maintenance services on all EV chargers we fit as well as units that have been fitted by others.

All current chargers on the market must be OCPP compliant and end users will have access to a back-office system to monitor the charges, take payments and analyse data. These systems will also allow companies the opportunity to add an installer team or contact to see their chargers, making it easier to report a fault and making it easier for a resolution to be found, which in some cases may even avoid a site visit and a simple upgrade command sent to the charger to get it working again.

When it comes to having EV chargers fitted at your workplace there is more to think about than just putting some sockets on a wall. With a clear plan in place on how to maximise the return on investment, as well as the number of vehicles that are needed to be charged, your business will be able to see a real benefit in the future in providing a charging facility within the workplace.