10 top tips for a successful EV charge point offer at the workplace

Our simple checklist helps you get started with an EV charging programme that works for your company, your employees and your sustainability goals in 10 easy steps.

Step 1 - Decide who’s in charge of your EV workplace system

EV charging is typically managed by someone from the facilities team, HR or sustainability department. Designate a single point of contact for programme success.

Step 2 - Survey your employees

If you haven’t done so already, survey your employees to see who already drives electric and who might switch once you offer charging. Employees are 6 times more likely to drive electric when charging is available at work, so make sure to take that into account when planning.

Step 3 - Plan ahead

Plan a smart installation that works with existing infrastructure and anticipates growing demand. Once you know how many charge points you’ll need, evaluate your electrical capacity to see how many stations you can accommodate. Our Power Management software can support more charging without upgrading capacity or incurring costly utility demand charges. Don’t worry if this sounds complicated – the team at Parco can advise you on the best options after a site survey.

Top Tip

Keep in mind that demand for EV charging will grow fast, so plan for double or triple the capacity you need today.

Step 4 - Decide who can charge and when

There are a number of options to consider:

• Do you want charging to be for employees only?
• Do you want employees to charge at any time or allocate a charging slot?
• Would you like to open up charging to the public after hours?

Whatever your priorities, it’s easy to set an access policy that works for you. Once you set up your policy, employees can request charging access with a simple connection code. Your EV charging programme manager can then approve employees to charge.

Step 5 - Decide how much it will cost to charge

Some workplaces offer charging to employees as a free benefit. While this is a common approach, you may want to consider adding a pricing policy. For example, set a fee that goes into effect after a few hours of free charging. This will encourage drivers to move on so others can take a turn. You can also choose to set a different price for non-employees to allow them to charge but discourage them from staying too long.

Step 6 - Enable ‘Waitlist’

EV charging usually becomes popular very quickly, especially in the workplace. Our software’s ‘Waitlist’ feature lets employees queue up for stations so they can all count on getting a charge.

Step 7 - Invite employees to charge

Send out your unique connection code so employees can request to charge in the ChargePoint app. Use email, Slack, an Intranet or your preferred employee communication channel. Include information about how much charging will cost and whether there are additional fees after a certain amount of time.

Step 8 - Teach employees the new system

Make sure that employees know how to start a charge with the ChargePoint app and your unique connection code. Share basic etiquette tips, like:

• Charge only when you need to.
• Move your car when you’ve finished charging or have enough charge.

Step 9 - Keep an eye on key metrics

See how many people are charging at your workplace compared with your expectations. If charging has not taken off, make sure that employees know how to get a charge! Take a look at your energy costs, too. If they are higher than expected, consider setting a small fee to recover the expense.

Step 10 - Grow your programme over time

Once your employees get a taste of driving a better way, more and more of them will make the switch to electric. Keep an eye on your station utilisation report in the ChargePoint dashboard and start planning for your next station installation(s).

To get started with an EV charging programme at your workplace, contact us at Parco Civil Engineering & Groundworks today.

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