My company is thinking of installing charging stations. I was hoping people could post their experiences with charging at work.
1. Does the company charge you? How much?
No charge.
2. How many stations are there compared to the number of EVs? Are there too many stations or too few?
5 Level 2 and 13 Level 1 charging options. 33+ EVs already contending for these. Too few charging options obviously but, the facilities folks are planning on adding more; just not this fiscal year.
3. What type of stations?
5 L2 stations (ClipperCreek 30A J1772) and 13 110V outlets (of the NEMA 5-20R variety that one can draw upto 16A from)
4. Can non-employees charge?
Yes. Many folks from businesses around here drop by from time to time. They rarely take up the stations for long intervals though. The L2 stations are open to the public while the L1 outlets are in an enclosed garage that does need card key access.
5. Do you have to move your car during the day to let someone else use the spot? Do you have an EV mailing list to deal with this?
Many of us voluntarily do move the car and send a note to a mailing list. There's a spreadsheet of all known EVs (with license plate numbers, car make/model, their owner contact phone nums/email addresses) that helps identify cars, particularly when breakers are tripped and such.
6. Any other tips or things to consider?
Try to get high amperage Level 2 charging stations if possible, such as these:
Charging Station / CS-100, High Power
Charging Station / TS70 (90) (on sale!)
If the company does have to charge for charging, it may be good to aim for a price-per-hour model that escalates after a few hours. And, the price should probably be such that one still has a better deal when compared to burning gas for the same range recovered.
Also, numerous 110V outlets (the combo 5-20R/5-15 variety rather than the vanilla 5-15) would be great for trickle-charging. Many folks may be able to recover their entire commute range from trickle-charging for the 8 or 9 hours that they are at work and wouldn't need the higher power charging stations.
Identify a good moderator/owner for the mailing list to guide folks regarding charging options/etiquette and also to coordinate with Facilities in case of equipment failure and such.