As electric vehicles become commonplace, EV charging is becoming a business infrastructure question, not simply a household one.
For businesses, there are several reasons to consider installing chargers. They can support employees who drive electric vehicles, provide a service for customers, help electrify company fleets and, in some locations, create another source of revenue.
The right charger depends on how the site is used. A 7kW or 22kW AC charger can be suitable where a vehicle will remain parked for several hours, such as an office, workshop, hotel or club. Faster DC charging may make more sense where vehicles need to turn around quickly, but it brings higher equipment costs and potentially much larger electrical demand.
The electrical supply should be assessed before chargers are installed. Adding several chargers without load management can create unnecessary peak demand or require costly electrical upgrades. NSW Government guidance recommends assessing a commercial building’s available electrical capacity and likely charging requirements before deciding on infrastructure.
Smart charging systems can help by sharing available capacity between vehicles and controlling when charging occurs.
Businesses with rooftop solar have another opportunity. Employee, customer or fleet vehicles parked during the day can absorb surplus solar that might otherwise be exported to the grid. Batteries and time-of-use electricity contracts can provide flexibility.
Public charging should also be considered as a customer experience. Reliability, payment systems, parking time and pricing are just as important as speed.
For most businesses, the starting point should be the use case: who will charge, how long will they stay and how much energy will they need?