The most ideal way of charging an EV is to charge it overnight at home. This is because it is the most convenient and least expensive method of charging an EV.
Charging an EV at home overnight is easy, as charging your mobile just like you having a good night’s sleep and ready for the day, your car also will be ready to take you wherever you want to go. This is the reason that over 85% of EV drivers charge their vehicles at home.
After home, the workplace is the best location for EV charging as you spend most of your time in your workplace after home.
Today we are going to discuss charging EVs at your workplace and how to convince your employer to set up a charging station for you.
What Is in It for You
Is convincing your employer to provide you with a charging station at the workplace worth the effort?
Let’s find out…
After your home, you spend most of your time at your workplace thus your car also spends a lot of time in your workplace. Eight hours is more than enough time for an EV to fully recharge during a typical workday. So instead of just sitting in the parking lot, your electric vehicle (EV) can be charging while you work throughout the day.
Charging your electric car where you work will help you,
- Being less anxious about the range of your EV.
- Saving money since your employer is paying for the charging station(Even if you have to pay it will be less than what you have to pay at a public charging station)
- Leaving a low-carbon trail and making you feel better.
- Enjoy the convenience of charging an EV while you work.
So now the important question. How to convince your boss to set up a charging station for you.
Make Your Case Wisely
The company may not be interested in your convenience if there is only one person requiring a charging station. However, the management will listen when there is a group of employees having the same request.
As the saying goes, there is safety in numbers. Likewise, your case gains credibility when there are more employees in your office who own EVs or consider purchasing or leasing one if workplace charging is available.
Find out from your coworkers whether they would be interested in EV charging at work. Remember, they don’t have to have one right now, since many people purchase an EV after they have a reliable location to charge it.
Here are some tips to convince your coworkers to switch to EVs,
- Take them on short trips in your EV and give them the experience of shear torque and acceleration only EVs can provide.
- Don’t be shy to tell them how convenient it is to own an EV.
- Educate them about EVs and tell them about the tax and other incentives available.
- Try to cast out their misconceptions about EVs like range or safety issues.
Okay, Now that you have a group of people recruited for your case, the next step is to have a proper plan in place.
One thing to remember here is, to make the plan a win-win situation for both parties.
Draft Out The Plan & Proposal
Making a strategy is the next step before approaching your company for an EV charging station. The proposed strategy ought to encompass the approximate number of charging stations, the installation site, suggested suppliers and contractors, and the procedure for obtaining permits.
In essence, the plan’s goal is to clarify your employer’s initial questioning. Remember that until your employer has given the go-ahead, you should do this and subsequent steps on your schedule. It is important to avoid creating the appearance that you are acting on your initiative without your employer’s approval.
Let us list out the important elements of an appealing plan.
#1. Number of Charging Stations
Determine how many charging points are required in your workplace before requesting them. You can do this by listing out the number of employees using EVs currently and how many are planning to lease or buy EVs shortly. Add up the numbers and multiply them with a buffer percentage to accommodate errors in your forecast.
Always remember to rest your case with the reinforcement of relevant data. To give you an example you can quote the International Energy Agency study which estimates that there were over 7.2 million electric vehicles on the road in 2019 and that number is expected to rise to 125 million by 2030.
#2. Select The Feasible Charging Setup
We know that there are many types of charging stations available in the market. You have to look into various charging station options after determining the number of charging points required. You must select a charging setup that is appropriate for your workplace from the varieties that are offered.
Also, choose a reputable supplier of charging stations. Think about things like the charging station’s features, price, and the vendor’s track record for high-quality installations.
Keep in mind that It’s critical to select a charger that is both compatible with the EV models used by your coworkers and simple to install and operate.
#3. Enquire About Rebates & Incentives
To help your employer financially, check for any applicable discounts or incentives before putting in a request for your workplace to install charging stations. This will add appeal to your idea and demonstrate to your company that it is a wise investment.
For instance, under the federal tax incentive programme, companies can receive up to 30% off the purchase and installation expenses of charging stations according to the US Department of Energy.
Now that you have your detailed proposal ready, it is time to crunch some numbers.
Crunching The Numbers
After creating your plan, you’ll need to incorporate a budget and cost estimation. Cost estimation has to be done very cautiously as it has the potential to derail your entire plan.
To create a detailed cost estimation, you must provide answers to the following questions.
- What are the expenses for contractors, permits, and equipment during installation?
- What is the annual cost of a network connection?
- What is the price of electricity?
- Is there a provision for discounts? If so, to what extent?
These are the few questions whose responses differ depending on many factors including the place, capacity required etc. Keep in mind that, to cut expenses, certain charge station providers might not offer online features (software for controlling access, payments, and other aspects) thus study thoroughly.
Now it is the time to make your requirement your employer’s necessity.
Aligning Your Plan With The Company Policy
As the age old wisdom says, both parties must benefit from a discussion in order for it to be successful. Of course, charging your EVs at work is what you and other EV drivers get and that is the advantage you get. However, your employer needs to benefit from it as well.
To achieve this the first thing you can do is to find out the ideals and goals your organisation has for sustainability. The company’s annual sustainability report, mission statement, and past green efforts all provide this information. Many companies are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and expand their green initiatives.
Adding a charging station enhances value in many ways to your workspace.
- Retaining current employees who drive electric cars.
- Draw in prospective employees who are into EVs.
- Helping the employees to save money.
- Reaching Green Building Guidelines.
- Gaining a positive outlook from the customers
Now it’s time to pitch your idea to the correct people.
Decide The Proper Channel Of Approach
Talking to those who are unable to make a choice is not worth the time it takes to have this conversation. As an alternative, you must ascertain who inside your organisation is authorised to make decisions or to at least influence the decision-makers.
Chances are that you may not be authorised to pitch the idea directly to the GM or CEO, instead, you may have to go through layers of scrutiny or judgement before even reaching there. Here, my suggestion is to ‘Go along with a Green Initiative of your company’. In this approach, you are not asking a favour from the company, instead, you are putting forward a detailed plan to expand the company’s environmental goals.
To appropriately handle any issues throughout the cycle, it is advised to stay in close communication with the decision-makers.
Following Up
Finally, you must follow through on your commitments after approaching your employer. You must fulfil the expectations you have set for yourself to complete the task, regardless of whether your employer has requested more information or that you take the lead on the project. You give your boss confidence by doing this, and the project will succeed as a result.
Make sure that your other work(The ones that your employer is more interested in) is not affected by any of this work.
Conclusion
You may eliminate the need for any weekly trips to public charging stations by charging at home or work. This is the problem with conventional internal combustion engines. In the case of EVs, you won’t need to halt charging while travelling if you charge at home or work. Practically one can charge more than 90% of your regular charging sessions while leaving your car parked for many hours at home or work.
All the best…