Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Any tips on getting employer to install charging stations?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I live and work in the Orlando Florida area. My company (ironically an energy company, think power plants) has a HQ that has several large buildings and several thousand employees. We have one ChargePoint charger installed outside our main lobby that is free to employees. It was originally installed because we had a company EV Smart car and once that went away (not sure where) the charger was opened up to employees. The charger broke several months ago, but was recently replaced with a brand new one. I had inquired with our facilities company about getting more charging stations set up (we have quite a few EV’s in the parking lot these days) but i was told it was looked into and determined that it was insanely expensive.

Is there anyone out there that has helped get their employer to install charging stations?

Are there any programs to help with the cost of charging infrastructure installation?

Any help would be appreciated!
 
Is there anyone out there that has helped get their employer to install charging stations?

My former employer URENCO, also an energy company, had a formal process of engineering requests by employees. I submitted one and ~3 years later we finally got chargers when a new building was finished... How they got installed was amusing. They were approved initially but never funded, then when the building was planned they became part of that plan but were canceled because they weren't free; But.... lucky for us management was lazy/incompetent and never actually followed through to cancel the chargers.

Sadly, most energy companies tend not to be very forward thinking.... or thoughtful. Which is why URENCO is now my former employer... I just couldn't take the swamp anymore.
 
  • Funny
Reactions: Theflash95
Is there anyone out there that has helped get their employer to install charging stations?

Are there any programs to help with the cost of charging infrastructure installation?

Any help would be appreciated!
Yes, Tesla has a program which subsidizes the installation of workplace charging with Wall Connectors. It’s called the Tesla workplace charging program. See the bottom of this web page:
Charging Partners | Tesla
 
Yes, Tesla has a program which subsidizes the installation of workplace charging with Wall Connectors. It’s called the Tesla workplace charging program. See the bottom of this web page:
Charging Partners | Tesla

Yeah, I pointed that one out to them... I guess it wasn't enough to sway their opinion. Our facilities company literally said that installing additional chargers (like I said we have the lonely one by itself) would be "insanely expensive."
 
Yeah, I pointed that one out to them... I guess it wasn't enough to sway their opinion. Our facilities company literally said that installing additional chargers (like I said we have the lonely one by itself) would be "insanely expensive."
Why don’t you ask how they can know it would be insanely expensive before knowing how much of it Tesla would subsidize?
 
Why don’t you ask how they can know it would be insanely expensive before knowing how much of it Tesla would subsidize?

I gave them the info about Tesla's program and I'm told they looked into it. It's not really my place to make any demands, especially since now their opinion is "we replaced the one broken charger we had and now we're done." Was just wondering if there was maybe a state program, or even a local city one that I wasn't aware of to take back to them and say did you look into this too? I'm guessing there isn't much... I've heard Florida, the sunshine state, isn't so environmentally friendly. You would think we'd have solar programs out that wazoo, but nope... there's not much out there beyond the usual federal programs.
 
I live and work in the Orlando Florida area. My company (ironically an energy company, think power plants) has a HQ that has several large buildings and several thousand employees. We have one ChargePoint charger installed outside our main lobby that is free to employees. It was originally installed because we had a company EV Smart car and once that went away (not sure where) the charger was opened up to employees. The charger broke several months ago, but was recently replaced with a brand new one. I had inquired with our facilities company about getting more charging stations set up (we have quite a few EV’s in the parking lot these days) but i was told it was looked into and determined that it was insanely expensive.

Is there anyone out there that has helped get their employer to install charging stations?

Are there any programs to help with the cost of charging infrastructure installation?

Any help would be appreciated!

My thoughts would be that a multi-faceted approach would tend to best solve the issue. First, does the company have an electric charging program? If so, get them onboard. Also, find out who the other EV owners are, get them on you side, hopefully you may even find that one of them may have enough sway yo help remove any issues with facilities.
Also, check to see if there are any state subsidies for charger installation, this may help offset the cost.
Also, I wouldn't even suggest starting with 2 stations, the costs per station get cheaper as the number go up. I'd recommend at least 4. I wouldn't recommend having them at the front door, that becomes too competitive. Out back, where it may be an even further walk than normal parking may be recommended.

Also check to see if there are any other electric vehicles in the corporate fleet, lots of utilities have them, just like the EV Smart Car.
Doing things like researching the number of EVs in the company's footprint may help create a program for the public, and that's what will probably help drive getting your own chargers.

And if all else fails, get them to install some 20A 120V plug in place of the old chargers, that should be a lot cheaper and give you some charging capabilities.
 
My thoughts would be that a multi-faceted approach would tend to best solve the issue. First, does the company have an electric charging program? If so, get them onboard. Also, find out who the other EV owners are, get them on you side, hopefully you may even find that one of them may have enough sway yo help remove any issues with facilities.
Also, check to see if there are any state subsidies for charger installation, this may help offset the cost.
Also, I wouldn't even suggest starting with 2 stations, the costs per station get cheaper as the number go up. I'd recommend at least 4. I wouldn't recommend having them at the front door, that becomes too competitive. Out back, where it may be an even further walk than normal parking may be recommended.

Also check to see if there are any other electric vehicles in the corporate fleet, lots of utilities have them, just like the EV Smart Car.
Doing things like researching the number of EVs in the company's footprint may help create a program for the public, and that's what will probably help drive getting your own chargers.

And if all else fails, get them to install some 20A 120V plug in place of the old chargers, that should be a lot cheaper and give you some charging capabilities.

Thanks for the ideas ewoodrick, but I think for now we're just going to be stuck with the one charger.

No, my company doesn't have an electric charging program. All we've got is the one charger and they are working on a schedule that is fair for the folks at my office to share it.
Yes there are a group of EV owners and we have been pressing facilities to install more chargers, but the "insanely expensive" comment was the result.
I don't think there are any Florida state programs... kinda what I thought, but that was my main reason for asking.
The proposed plan was to put additional chargers between two of the main buildings which would have essentially been at the back of the parking lot and the furthest spots away from either of the two main buildings.
Again, even though I work for an energy company we work with power plants and thus have nothing to do with EV's. The Smart car EV we had was a pet project and wasn't all that successful (I think I had heard the range was maybe 40 miles).

I think for now I'll just be charging at home as usual and will get on the schedule to share the one EV charger we have. Right now there are quite a few EV's showing up in the parking lot, but I think nothing is going to change until we get a significant number of employees (or maybe one of the exec's) driving an EV.