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How to Ask Your Employer for EV Charging

The best place to charge an electric vehicle (EV) is overnight at home. This is because it is both the cheapest way but also the most convenient way. Similar to charging your cell phone, charging an EV overnight at home is simple as you wake up with 100% charge. There is no time spent waiting for the battery to charge since you are sleeping or conducting other activities at home. In fact, over 85% of EV drivers charge at home!

The second best place to charge an EV is at the workplace. This is because after your home, at the workplace is where you spend most of your time and, consequently, so does your car. With a typical workday of eight hours, this is more than enough time for an EV to fully recharge. So while you are working throughout the day, your EV can be charging rather than just sitting in the parking lot. 

So if you have an EV and don’t have the ability to charge at home, it is highly recommended to ask your employer for EV charging. Before you do, there are a few things to consider in order to produce a convincing argument. Let’s get started. 

Gauge Interest

Like the old adage goes: there is safety in numbers. Similarly, the more people with an EV or interested in getting an EV if there is workplace charging the more sound your argument becomes. If only 5% of the employees want EV charging, the employer is unlikely to appease a small crowd. However, if 20% of employees are interested in EV charging, then the employer will likely be motivated to approve the project. 

Ask your fellow employees if EV charging at work would be something they would be interested in. They don’t necessarily have to own an EV at the moment since many individuals get an EV once they have a known place to charge (home or at work). 

Produce a Plan

The next step before you ask your employer for EV charging is to produce a plan. The plan should include an approximate number of charging stations, location of installation, recommended vendors and contractors, and permitting process. 

Essentially, the purpose of the plan is to head off the expected first round of questions your employer may have. Additionally, by producing a plan, you will show your employer the rough scope of work of the project so they can evaluate how many resources they will need to complete the project. 

Keep in mind that this step (and others) should be completed at your own time unless previously sanctioned by your employer. You do not want to give the impression that you are conducting your own prerogative without your employer’s consent. 

Benefits of Workplace Charging
Workplace Charging

Estimate Costs

Once the plan is crafted, you’ll want to add some numbers to it. When estimating costs, you should answer the following questions:

  1. How much does the installation cost (hardware, permitting, contractor)?
  2. How much does networking cost per year?
  3. How much does the electricity cost?
  4. Are there rebates available? If so, how much?

The answers to these questions vary from job to job. Some sites may not include networking (software that controls payment, access, and other features) as a means to cut costs. Other jobs may pass all electricity costs off to the EV driver (networking required). In any case, you’ll want to consider these as your employer will likely want to know these specifics. 

Determine Added Value

In order for the conversation to go well both parties must gain something. Obviously, you and your EV driving co-workers get EV charging at work, which is a convenient perk. On the other hand, your employer needs to get something out of it. 

In a previous article, we talked about the many benefits of adding workplace charging. Specifically, adding charging stations at the workplace provides an added value in several ways:

  1. Retain current employees with EVs
  2. Attract prospective employees with EVs
  3. Generate revenue
  4. Achieve green building standards
  5. Facilitate company EV fleet
  6. Entice EV driving guests

Identify Stakeholders

Another task before you ask your employer for EV charging is to identify the stakeholders. It would be fruitless if you spent all of this time for this conversation to only be talking to an individual that cannot make a decision. Instead, you will need to determine who at the company has the authority to make the decision or at the very least be part of the decision. 

It is recommended that you remain in as close of contact as possible with the decision maker(s) so you can properly address any possible concerns during the conversation. 

Take Initiative

As you may have already done so now, it is critical that you take initiate throughout this entire process. Your employer may not want to spend additional resources on this project should it get approved. Therefore, you should be ready and willing to take the lead as the project manager. 

If your workload does not permit this, it may be worthwhile to seek the assistance of an EV charging consultant to coordinate the project for you. If you are in need of an EV charging project manager, contact us to learn more about our services. We help businesses of all sizes plan and install EV charging stations. 

Required EV Charging Stations
Workplace Charging

Follow Through

Lastly, after you have asked your employer it is crucial for you to follow up on your promises. Whether your employer has asked for additional information or has asked you to be the project lead, you must follow through on the expectations you previously set in order to see the job through. By doing so, you instill confidence in your employer, which will lead to a successful project. 

Closing Thoughts

By charging at home or at work, you simply negate the need for any weekly charging stops at a public charging station. With traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, this is the paradigm, however, with EVs, the model can be different. With home or workplace charging, you will only need to make a charging stop while on a road trip. Over 90% of your typical charging sessions can be completed at home or at work while you are not using the vehicle for several hours. 

For any additional questions on how you should ask your employer for EV charging, let us know in the comments below. Alternatively, if you need assistance with your workplace charging project, feel free to contact us to see how we can help. We are an EV charging consultant that help businesses get EV charging. We look forward to working with you!