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Broadly speaking, and depending on your company’s needs and goals, there are two main EV charging business models suitable for the workplace.

EV Charging Business Models for the Workplace

  1. EV Charging as an Employee Benefit
    Employees have access to EV charging without having to pay.
  2. EV Charging as a Revenue Stream
    Employee or visitor, anyone using the station pays to charge their vehicle based on a standard rate and the conditions you set.For example, employees may benefit from a discounted rate, while clients and visitors pay full price. This method has the advantage of generating additional revenue for the company and opening the charging infrastructure to clients or visitors.

While each model has its pros and cons, choosing the one that best suits your organization depends on several factors. In most cases, it is recommended to use charging management software to handle charging sessions and transactions seamlessly.

This article explores the two most common EV charging business models for the workplace and explains how they can benefit your organization.

More of Your Employees Will Start Driving Electric Cars

Globally, the electric vehicle (EV) market is booming. After sales nearly doubled in 2021, they surged again in 2022, surpassing 450,000 vehicles sold for the first time and now accounting for 22% of the French automotive market. We are undeniably moving toward electric mobility, and workplaces are no exception.

Many organizations offering company cars to their employees are now considering switching to electric vehicles only. This is not only a more sustainable option but also a more economically viable solution in the long term. While EVs may seem more expensive at first glance, did you know that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an EV is, in many cases, already lower than that of an internal combustion engine vehicle?

Even if your organization does not have a company fleet, installing EV charging stations at your premises can be a smart move.

EV Charging at Work

As people increasingly adopt electric mobility, more of your employees will inevitably start driving electric cars. Consequently, offering EV charging at the workplace could significantly contribute to attracting new talent and increasing employee satisfaction.

One of the main appeals of driving an EV is the theoretical ability to charge it where and when you park, eliminating the need to visit a gas station.

While home charging is the most attractive option for many drivers, workplaces rank as the second most popular location for EV drivers to charge their vehicles.

Help Your Employees Transition to Electric Mobility

Your employees, particularly those living in urban areas, may not be able to install a charger at their homes. Whether they lack a driveway or personal parking space, or live in apartment complexes where installing a personal charger tied to their meter is challenging, transitioning to electric mobility can be more difficult for them. They must rely entirely on public charging infrastructure. Range anxiety, combined with the current need for charging infrastructure, causes many to hesitate to make the switch. Offering workplace charging could make all the difference.

That said, workplace charging does not necessarily have to be offered as a free service. Even if you provide EV charging at a discounted rate for employees, you can use it as an additional revenue stream.

Beyond offering EV charging facilities to your staff, there are other factors to consider that could prove beneficial for your business.

EV Charging at Your Workplace for Visitors

Many companies’ parking lots are used to park the cars of a greater number of visitors than those of their employees. Whether they are clients, business partners, or consumers, they will increasingly drive electric vehicles and appreciate the ability to charge their cars at your premises.

Depending on the location and use of your office, it may even be worthwhile to open a few parking spaces to the general public, thereby generating revenue from charging sessions, attracting new customers, or both.

Parking avec bornes de recharge

EV Charging Business Models

Let’s examine the different business models for offering EV charging within your company.

  1. Free EV Charging at the Workplace
    As a workplace, you might consider offering EV charging as an employee benefit. A benefit is additional compensation offered by a company to its employees beyond their salary or, in other words, an EVP (employee value proposition).Benefits are a critical factor in attracting and retaining top talent and can help a company stand out from its competitors in the eyes of job candidates.Of course, offering free EV charging to your employees is not the only solution to employee happiness, nor the only benefit your company should consider, but it may be one that your employees will truly appreciate.
  2. EV Charging at the Workplace for Revenue Generation
    While offering free EV charging to employees has its benefits, another approach is to provide charging as a paid service or even open the chargers to third-party use. This allows the company to generate an additional revenue stream and offset the cost of the electricity used.Depending on the type of business and its location, installing publicly accessible EV chargers can put a company “on the map,” directing EV drivers to these chargers and potentially cross-selling or upselling other offerings while their vehicle charges. In addition to guests and clients paying for charger use, companies can also offer a discounted rate to employees who wish to charge their vehicles, further increasing employee satisfaction.

Different pricing models can be applied depending on the circumstances:

  • One option is to charge users a flat rate per hour or per day, regardless of the amount of electricity consumed.
  • Another approach is to charge users based on their energy consumption, so everyone pays their fair share.

These two approaches can also be combined by charging a fixed initial activation fee and then billing users based on the amount of electricity consumed. In all cases, employees can benefit from a discounted rate compared to visitors, or you can even set maximum time slots or electricity available for free charging.

Disclaimer below the table: The data provided above is an estimate based on average market usage and varies by region.

Whether EV charging is used to generate revenue or as an employee benefit, companies must consider certain factors when installing charging infrastructure.

In particular, if multiple user groups are involved, the charger must be able to accept different payment methods or settings. In most cases, it is recommended to use charging management software to handle all these transactions seamlessly.

Charging Management Software for Workplace EV Charging

In the digital age, access to data and information is essential for making informed decisions. Many modern charging stations are more than just hardware and enable connectivity through software management systems.

Good charging management software allows you to easily manage your assets, set different charging rates, and gain insights into driver behavior.

Charging management software also helps increase energy efficiency by optimizing consumption. Smart charging features, such as dynamic load balancing, ensure that the charging station never draws more than the set current from the grid and that the available capacity is intelligently distributed among all charging stations.

Regarding billing, smart charging software can ensure that costs are easily and accurately attributed to the right stakeholders. By automating payments and reimbursements, this solution eliminates manual accounting tasks and ensures a smooth billing process, regardless of the user.

Finally, charging management software can streamline reporting, easily generating actionable insights into charger status, charging patterns, and energy consumption, helping businesses make more informed decisions and optimize their energy efficiency.

The Growing Need for EV Charging Infrastructure

With the increasing adoption of EVs, consumer mindsets are shifting: nearly half of drivers are considering purchasing an electric car, and we need sufficient charging infrastructure to meet the growing demand.

According to the 2023 Statista report, the total number of charging points in France has risen sharply, from around 30,000 in 2019 to nearly 85,000 in 2022.

In the United States, the International Council on Clean Transportation found that public charging, including workplace charging, will need to reach 2.4 million non-home chargers to enable EVs to account for 100% of new car sales nationwide by 2040. In the UK, workplace chargers play a key role in the country’s transition and are already more numerous than public charging points.

Companies worldwide are in a unique position to tap into a new market and satisfy their employees, attract new talent, or even add an additional revenue stream.

For more information on EV charging at the workplace, check out our comprehensive and free guide.