How to Choose the Right Commercial Electric Car Charger for Your Business
Posted 27th June 2024
If you are a business looking to install commercial electric car chargers at your work premises, there are several factors that should be considered. Commercial EV chargers will become the norm over the coming years, so it is vital that businesses make the switch to business EV charging as soon as they possibly can to ensure that they are future proofed for the inevitable rise in electric vehicle popularity across the board.
Whether you want EV charging for your employees as a boost to staff morale, for suppliers and customers to attract better relationships, or you want to provide commercial EV charging facilities to the general public as a way of boosting revenue and your brand at the same time, there are different ways to successfully approach the change.
With the right level of professional support, your business can take advantage of the latest EV charging technology and be ready to scale in the future as the required capacity to meet demand increases.
What are the different types of commercial EV chargers?
There are different EV charging stations that you can choose from based on speed:
Level 1 charging stations
These are the gateway EV charging solutions for businesses, as they are the cheapest option. Level 1 chargers are also the slowest only adding 3-5 miles of travel per hour of charge. This makes them too slow for those charging stations that are made available to the general public but might be suitable for businesses offering a charging station to employees who will be parked up for 8 hours or so during the day. These basic chargers use a standard outlet and are also suitable for overnight home charging.
Level 2 charging stations
This is the standard commercial charging solution that you’ll see in parking spaces and workplaces where an electric vehicle can be fully charged in just a few hours. They can charge 4-5x faster than the Level 1 charging solutions, adding between 12 and 40 miles of charge per hour, using 208/240V and 30 amp electricity.
Level 3 charging stations – DC fast chargers
These are the fastest available, with DCFC (DC Fast Chargers) filling up batteries between 80-400+ miles per hour of charging. This does make them the most expensive option for commercial EV charging solutions and they are also not compatible with all electric vehicles. You’ll find this type of commercial charging station being used to charge fleets and larger vehicles like trucks and eHGV’s
*For both Level 2 and DC charging stations, there is the chance for business owners to make money from selling to the general public, to monitor usage remotely, to track usage and process payments safely and securely.
Commercial EV charging connector compatibility
It is imperative that EV charging stations are compatible with as wide an array of electric vehicles as possible. Common connectors that are typically used include:
Type 2 (Mennekes) connector
Commonly used in Europe and is the standard for Level 2 charging in many regions. Compatible with most EV models in Europe.
CCS (Combined Charging System) connector
Combines Type 2 connector for AC charging with additional high-power DC pins for fast charging. Seen commonly in many European and North American vehicle manufacturers. CCS & Type 2 are the international standard for vehicles now, as the sockets essentially combine. So the type 2 top half combines with two DC connecting pins below to make the CCS socket.
What factor must be considered for commercial EV charging stations?
Choosing the right type of EV charger for your business depends on a range of factors, including:
Charging speed
You’ve seen above, the different types of chargers and charging speeds, and this gives you an idea of what is achievable and which types of charger match your specific business needs, and the needs of the people (and electric vehicles) that will be parked at your location.
Compatibility
It is important that you have an EV charger that is compatible with the types of vehicles that you wish to cater for and also works with the power output at your business premises. Different types of electric vehicles will have different power levels and charging connectors, so it is important to select chargers that can meet the needs of a range of electric vehicle models.
Scalability
The future is EV. Businesses should consider looking towards the future and not just a short-term action when it comes to the installation and provision of electric vehicle charge stations. Choose chargers that can easily be expanded or upgraded as demand increases in the future.
Cost
Long-term costs and ROI must be balanced with the initial outlay when installing EV chargers. Operational costs and maintenance expenses must be considered alongside network fees and any potential revenues.
Location
Work out the optimal location for chargers based on visibility, accessibility, and the convenience for your employees and customers to access them.
What are the best locations for EV charging stations?
The optimal locations for EV charging stations include:
Workplaces
For those people who drive to their place of employment, EV charging stations are a big incentive to purchase an electric vehicle, as they know there is somewhere to charge their car during work hours. It becomes a big incentive to attract and retain staff for businesses too.
Shopping centres and business districts
The ability to park and charge electric vehicles whilst out shopping is a great benefit and will make consumers more likely to remain out shopping and socialising for longer.
Housing
Multi-family buildings and apartment blocks become more attractive to potential homeowners and tenants if there is the option to charge electric vehicles.
Service locations
Hospitals, universities, and other public buildings that are aiming for long-term sustainability goals benefit from EV charging points.
What are the budget and ROI considerations of EV charging?
Although businesses might think the initial installation outlay is expensive for commercial EV charging stations, the long-term ROI makes it an attractive choice for the coming years with customer fees, increased number of customers attracted to the premises and higher rates of employee satisfaction.
Installation process
Installation is the most expensive part of the process, with costs associated with the electric infrastructure to power the charging stations, wire conduits and connectors, re-striping of parking spaces, new signage to guide visitors to chargers, as well as the cost of a specific number of chargers, material used, permits, and manual labour for installation.
Network costs
Once installed, you will most likely require 4G connected chargers that allow network connectivity that limits use to certain specific people (if this is necessary), that allow for the charging of users for electricity consumption, create usage reports and accurately monitors performance of each charging station.
Maintenance
For optimal performance of EV charging stations, regular maintenance is vital. It helps to prevent malfunctions and downtime, extends the lifespan of the equipment and maintains high safety standards. For users of EV charging stations reliability is key, and all of these maintenance issues ensure a better user experience.
As Electric Vehicle sales continue to increase, there is a growing requirement for business owners to install and manage commercial electric car charger stations to satisfy the demands of employees, suppliers, customers, and the general public. With government incentives and a move to phase out petrol vehicles investment into EV infrastructure is a necessity and the team here at ElectrAssure are here to lead the way.
