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Charging station for electric vehicle

Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles

As the number of electric vehicles (EV) rises, so is the demand for charging stations (Electric Vehicle Service Equipment or EVSE) from customers and employees.

Our charging stations come equipped with one or two charging cables, often referred to as charging “wands.” Each charging cable can charge one vehicle at a time. Once a driver plugs the cable into their vehicle, a light indicator comes on notifying the driver that A) a secure connection has been made and B) the vehicle is now charging.

Below, a guide for installing workplace charging. It presents a simple summary of the installation process.

Step 1: Assess the demand for EV charging stations in your business

Before you put money and time into installing EV charging stations, make sure that it’s right for your business and its people.

Assessing demand from your CUSTOMERS— Customers and visitors to your business are harder to predict. There are third-party survey companies that can help you ask questions, or you can do your own research about EV adoption rates for your client demographic. The important thing is to think ahead: even if your customers and visitors do not own an EV now, how likely are they to buy one in the next year? The next five years? In 2021, one of out every vehicle registered were zero-emission vehicles (5.2%). Would installing EV chargers at your place of business offer an amenity to your customers that would give you an advantage over your competitors?

Assessing demand from your EMPLOYEES—Surveys are a useful tool to determine existing demand for EV charging within your market and to better assess future demand.

Here are questions you can ask to assess existing demand:

  • Does the employee already have an EV? If so, what EV type (fully electric or plug-inhybrid), make and model?
  • Does the employee think that EV charging at work is required?
  • Would the employee use EV chargers if they were available?
  • Would the employee pay a fee? If so, determine an acceptable price range.
  • What is the distance of the customer or employee’s daily commute?
  • How many times during the workday does the employee move their vehicle?
  • Is the employee interested in participating in a working group for workplace charging?

You can also ask questions to assess future demand:

  • Is the employee considering purchasing an EV in the next 12 months?
  • Would the availability of EV charging at work increase the likelihood of the employee purchasing an EV?


Step 2: Assess the capacity for installing EV charging stations

Next, take stock of your infrastructure to see if the project is feasible.

Several factors affect the difficulty of the project: whether you own and operate the property, whether the property is located inside an urban area, the accessibility of electricity, etc.

Ownership—the installation would be easiest if you own the building. If not, then contact the property owner or facility manager to discuss the project.

Parking capacity—do you have the space in your parking lot to accommodate the chargers? It is important to note that once the parking spot has been designated for EV charging, non-plug-in cars cannot park in that spot. Local bylaws often enforce this. It is a charging spot, no longer just a parking spot. Similar to a gas pump, you would not park your car beside a pump and walk away to do grocery shopping. Here are some factors that will help you determine your workplace charging parking capacity.

  1. Number of available parking spots
  2. Number of employees who park on-site
  3. Number of employees interested in workplace charging (now and possibly in the future) and their average parking time

Remember to account for future demand as well—people who do not own an EV today may buy one in the next few years.

Electrical infrastructure—work with your electric utility provider or electrical contractor to determine the location of the power source, the existing amount of available power, and the capacity to increase power supply. The higher the level of charging, the more power is required to supply the station.

Step 3: Choose what EV charging stations to buy

You’ll probably undertake Steps 2 and 3 at the same time, shopping around for EV charging stations and assessing if it is possible to install them at your business. With the multitudes of EV stations and manufacturers out there, how do you choose among them?

The expert’s advice for selecting the most appropriate hardware is to make a list of your most desired features and check them against the vendor’s equipment specifications and their operating network. In simple terms, write down what you are looking for and then see if vendors can meet your needs.

Step 4: Make a budget 

Our list of EVSE manufacturers includes a non-exhaustive list of price estimates, but the installation will cost more than just the price of the equipment. When you’re making your budget, potential budget items include:

  • EV charging equipment
  • Contract labour
  • Internal labour
  • Materials/incidentals
  • Equipment rentals
  • Pavement demolition and repair
  • Signage and paint
  • Permits and inspection costs

Civil work and electrical upgrades are typically the most expensive costs. Keep in mind that the further the charging station is from the electrical panel, the more expensive the installation will be!

Step 5: How to install EV charging stations

Now you’re ready to start the actual installation.