Electric Car Charging Points For Business: The How To Guide

• by Martin Punter
• September 30, 2021
• 14 min read

At this point, EVs are next to impossible to ignore — more so for companies that require vehicles in day-to-day operations. ‘Electric car charging points for business’ is a popular online search at the moment.

Want to know why?

It’s because electric vehicles are the future of transport. In the UK, combustion engine vehicles will one day be a remnant of the past.

The laws are changing, as is public opinion.

These days, people are more invested in working with companies that have climate goals; we’ve heard stories of companies losing out on potential business due to a lack of CO2 awareness.

Implementing an electric fleet through leasing or simply installing electric car charging points for business use is how you can stay ahead of the curve.

We’re going to help you with the latter today to ensure that you’re clued up on everything there is to know about the commercial EV charging station beforehand.

This will include how to install a car charging point in the UK, the benefits of workplace charging, and the schemes available to help cut down on the costs.

Now, let’s get into it.

There are multiple benefits that come with installing a commercial EV charger

Electric Car Charging Points For Business: Why Do It?

Let’s start by identifying the reasons why you should look into commercial EV charging in the first place.

The most obvious reason is the fact that electric cars — and other vehicle types — will soon be mandatory (as early as 2030 for the UK, this excludes hybrids).

This alone applies pressure to your employees, especially when it comes to charging.

Sure, more and more public charging networks will appear in the coming months/years, so what’s the point of installing stations at work?

It’s true, public charging is growing at a rapid pace, but you can’t beat the convenience of workplace charging.

This doesn’t apply to just employees either. Visitors who drive around in an EV might also benefit from charging their vehicles at the source — instead of adding an additional 20 minutes onto their journey, let’s say, for some juice.

The stakes are even higher for the businesses out there wanting to make a change fleet-wise.

Leasing electric cars will have its benefits here (be sure to read our guide on electric leasing here to find out more).

But at the end of the day, you’ll still need to install charging stations to keep them topped up.

Charging these vehicles at a public station is an option. However, we’d advise against it if you have more than half a dozen vehicles in your fleet (for obvious reasons).

Also, let’s rule out the possibility of using a slow charger via a wall outlet (or socket as we call it in Europe).

They’re easy to use but take way too long to charge.

Additional Benefits: Setting Up Commercial EV Charger/Chargers

Having your own private network comes with perks, the kind you wouldn’t usually have access to.

For example, having electric car charging points for business use installed allows you to set employee tariffs — or offer free EV charging as a form of incentive to select people.

Little things like this could be great for employee-based morale.

Installing smart EV chargers would allow you to control who charges when and for how long, too. So you can manage who’s charging what and when if you only install a select number of charging stations.

That being said, it’s very easy to up-scale the number of commercial EV chargers you have at the ready once you have a couple already in place.

*Important*: You will need to request permission from the landlord if your business currently leases the building you’re in.

This will make it much easier to make fast-acting decisions based on the number of plug-in hybrids and pure electric cars you have in the car park or near the building.

That’s another benefit of installing a car charge point, too, is that you don’t need to have off-street parking to install a commercial EV charger.

You can install EV chargers near the building (pending approval from the appropriate parties).

Operating in a residential area and want to learn more?

Check with local authorities to see where you can install EV chargers that aren’t too far away from your current location.

What Chargers Can You Install At The Workplace?

Businesses don’t need to settle for slow chargers (3kW), considering how much room they might have to play with.

That being said, the faster the charger, the more it will cost to install and pay for initially.

A 22kW double-headed post-unit could cost between £2,500 up to £5,000 (and that includes scheme reductions).

Most businesses should be able to afford that. Still, there are some that will struggle — or perhaps not be able to justify the additional costs for faster units.

It’s all a matter of perspective, given the various benefits we’ve touched on above.

Some could justify going even further and seeking rapid charging units (the kind that can charge a car from flat to 80% in under an hour). These units can cost up to £35,000, although we’d recommend you shop around a little to find a cheaper deal.

We should mention that some units do take longer to install than most. Some rapid chargers can take months to put in place.

Here’s a quick rundown of electric vehicle charger types for reference:

• Slow Chargers (3kW)
• Fast Chargers (7kW-22kW)
• Rapid Chargers (50kW)
• Ultra-Rapid Chargers (100kW+)

We should mention that some chargers have the option of tethered or non-tethered cables. Tethered is the same as a petrol pump, in the sense that it’s fixed to the station itself.

Non-tethered tends to be cheaper, but you’d be running the risk of having them stolen (it happens).

In other words, choose wisely.

Taking advantage of the WCS will save businesses up to £14,000

Save Money: The Workplace Charging Scheme

Let’s face it, installing electric car charging points for business operations can be an expensive process if you let it.

That’s not to say that you can’t cut costs in places, because you totally can with something known as the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).

E4TP Says: It’s something we’ve already covered in our guide to all UK-based EV incentives/schemes. Check it out if you haven’t already.

With this scheme, businesses can save up to 75% of the costs tied to installations. That’s per charger, too, by the way. This is limited to 40 charge points per business up to £350 tops.

In other words, businesses could save up to £14,000!

Ensure that you’re looking at OLEV-approved installers or risk missing out on this scheme.

Commercial EV Charging Station: How Many To Install?

Knowing how many electric vehicle chargers you need to install at your place of work will allow you to crunch how much it’s going to cost.

For fleet charging, we’d recommend you look at how many electric vehicles you want to bring into the fold.

For commercial charging at a commercial building, we’d recommend you seek out companies like PodPoint.

How can PodPoint help?

PodPoint allows you to install more commercial EV charging stations as and when you need them through what it calls ‘Array Charging’.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to have one unit for every EV in your fleet, either. Alternating is totally an option and will actually save you a fair amount of money.

Also, remember, most commercial EV charging stations have multiple chargers on the same stack (double stacks, mostly), so you don’t have to go too crazy.

Did You Know? The UK will make sure that all non-residential buildings with more than 20+ parking spaces will have at least one electric car charging port/bay by 2025.

Consider the power supply you have running through your workplace charging stations, too.

Having multiple rapid chargers installed will drive up the costs if you’re exceeding the set capacity.

So how many electric car charging points for business do you need?

The answer depends on you and your business.

It’s not a cop-out answer; it’s simply the truth.

There are dozens of unique workplace charging units to choose from

The Best Electric Car Charging Points For Business

So you’ve heard about the benefits that come from installing a unit at your place of work and the WCS needed to reduce the costs per installation.

But what about the best electric car chargers for businesses in 2021?

Understand that there are dozens of charging stations out there for you to look at. In fact, many big-name electric charger companies make units with business use in mind.

Wallbox, for example, arguably the biggest company in the market, offers multiple smart chargers for multiple uses.

We’re actually going to cover one below in detail (the Commander 2).

You’ll find three electric vehicle chargers below that would be perfect in a business environment.

There are plenty of commercial EV stations out there, but these top the pile for us.

Pod Point Twin: A Must Have For Workplace Charging

• Connector Types Available: 3.6kW, 7kW, 22kW
• App Enabled: Yes
• Price: Misc.

The first workplace-optimised charger we want to direct your attention to is the Pod Point Twin, a smart stack complete with universal charging.

That means it’s compatible with all plug-in vehicles.

We know it looks like any standard black bollard, but that’s also part of its charm.

This only adds to the appeal since it can blend into the fabric of any location — especially residential areas.

The word ‘Twin’ in its name describes it perfectly in that it can charge two vehicles at any given time!

This is beneficial for various reasons, the most obvious being it’s a lot cheaper than buying one charger per vehicle.

The Pod Poing Twin is always connected, too, as it’s a wi-fi enabled workplace charger. This gives you around the clock control, complete with over-the-air updates and the ability to set custom pricing tariffs.

Not sure what to think?

What if we told you the Pod Point Twin stack is covered by a 3-year warranty? This covers remote and onsite maintenance.

It’s very easy to use, too, and is ideal for floor standing installations; that’s all you need to know.

E4TP Says: The Pod Point Twin is universally adored by the businesses who already have it installed. It being a twin point stack is easily one of the best things about it. We’d recommend the 22kW version for those wondering; it’s faster.

Wallbox Commander 2: The Smart Charger Of Smart Chargers

• Charging Power: 7,4kW, 11kW, 22kW
• App Enabled: Yes
• Price: £1,337

Wallbox, the uncrowned king of the electric vehicle charging market, has made it on our list of the best workplace charging stations out right now, and with good reason.

Wallbox actually has two unique chargers made for business types. You have the Wallbox Copper SB and the Wallbox Commander 2.

We’ve gone with the latter today, as it’s packed with more features and is a lot more interactive.

Through a dedicated app, users can control their charger status, see users and manage energy consumption. In other words, it’s a jack of all trades type of workplace charger and is perfect if you have multiple people using it in repeat succession.

The unit itself features a built-in touchscreen and is always connected to the internet.

Word of warning: With it featuring a touch screen — and looking quite futuristic — it could be prone to vandalism, so be careful.

It’s certified water and dust resistant with IP54 and IK10 protection ratings, making it an ideal unit to use at work, be it inside or outside.

It’s very easy to use, too, and is ideal for floor standing installations; that’s all you need to know.

E4TP Says: The one downside to this workplace charger is the fact that it can only charge one EV at a time. Give it time, though. We’re sure the engineers at Wallbox are working on something big related to commercial EV chargers.

Anderson A2 Charging Unit: Customise At Will

• Charging Power: 7,4kW, 11kW, 22kW
• App Enabled: Yes
• Price: £1,045

And finally, we have the Anderson 2, the best-looking workplace charger we’ve seen.

Seriously, take a look for yourself. It looks like it belongs in a Scandinavian museum championing modern art.

Sure it looks the part, but how does it perform?

Pretty well, considering prices start from £1,045 (this includes grant dedications).

The Anderson 2 is compatible with all type 2 electric and hybrid cars, covering a wide range of vehicles.

It only comes with fast charging options (up to 22kW). Some might find this disappointing. Then again, what did you really expect from an ergonomic wall charger?

The design does a great job hiding the integrated cable and plug (look at the top of the unit).

We rate this commercial EV charger so highly as you can customise it as you see fit. The perfect fit for a modern company in a creative market, perhaps?

The Anderson 2 was clearly designed to slot right in with those swanky new-build offices you see, and we’re all for it.

What do you think?

Also, what colour/finish is your favourite?

E4TP Says: We understand that the Anderson 2 won’t be to the liking of all businesses. Still, we’ve included it here to serve as something different compared to the other two. It’s also a fantastic workplace charger with solar/grid balancing.

Employees/visitors will never run out of juice if you have workplace charging

Electric Car Charging Points For Business: The How To Guide

In short, having workplace charging available is key; it’s good for morale and great for business.

It’s great for your wallet, too (we’re talking to those in charge and the employees who would usually visit a public network).

Let’s not forget the fact that you’re actively encouraging your workforce/partners/clients to think greener.

Many have shrugged off the impact electric vehicles will have in the coming years rather than embrace it.

Are you one of these companies?

We’re assuming you aren’t, considering you’re reading a post about electric car charging points for business use.

If you’re interested more in home charging, be sure to check out our post covering the best chargers of 2021. You’ll find what you’re looking for and then some.

Did you find this particular post helpful in our electrification efforts?

Leave us a comment below.

Electric Car Charging Points For Business FAQs

Is the workplace charging scheme available to small businesses?

It will soon enough. The UK government are changing the scheme for the better. The WCS will continue next year and open up to small to medium businesses and those working in the charity sector!

Why should you install a commercial EV charging station?

Installing an electric vehicle charging station at your place of work comes with many benefits. Convenience for your employees/visitors has inspired many businesses to take the leap already. It’s not as expensive as you might think, either, thanks to the WCS.

What is the best electric car charging point for businesses?

The Pod Point Twin charger, in our opinion, is a fantastic option for businesses, given it allows you to manage your charging infrastructure in real-time in line with the number of EVs you have parked. Although, the Commander 2 from Wallbox certainly has its perks too.

Martin Punter

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