Number of on-site EV chargers set to double

Electric Vehicles 

The number of workplace electric vehicle charge points is set to double within the next year, according to research from Arval Mobility Observatory. Currently, around 20% of businesses have charging available at their premises, but Arval reckons that is planned to increase to 40% in the next 12 months.

It's an important move to support an increasingly electric fleet for many companies, as drivers need a reliable place to charge their EVs. This is despite a fall in the number of businesses offering free charging on site.

Shaun Sadlier, Head of Arval Mobility Observatory Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said:

“This represents a relatively important shift in supporting drivers who choose or are provided with an electric car or van through their employer. It means EV drivers visiting other companies should be able to increasingly access charging for their return or subsequent journey, saving time and presumably also accessing cheaper power than if they had to pay for public charging.

“One of the considerations that businesses need to think through is the mix of charging points which they install. One set of drivers may need access to a rapid charger to get sufficient additional miles, while for another group of drivers a slower charger will be adequate.

“Whether this all materialises in exactly the manner we'd hope is difficult to say – employees could ‘hog' the chargers on their own company car park, but it does hopefully mark the beginning of a crucial infrastructure shift towards noticeably wider charger availability.”

The research shows that the number of fleets offering free charging at their sites has dropped from 29% to 17% this year. It's often cited as an effect of dramatic increases in electricity costs making large scale free recharging unsustainable from a financial point of view.

Despite this, employees and visitors are often offered electricity at cost, providing cheap recharging, and the convenience of being able to plug in at work or during meetings helps off-set any increase in fees. Rob Marshall, Operations Director at Gateway2Lease says he recognises the increasing requirement for more EV chargers at the company's Bromsgrove base.

“We currently have two chargers but we are in the process of adding more, “ commented Rob. “Increasingly our staff are taking electric cars on PCH and we need to cater for them - and that's before we take into account visitors to Gateway2Lease. So it's definitely a live issue.”

Although organisations are increasing the number of on-site EV chargers, there is mixed messaging coming from home charge points. Around a third of employers responded saying that they pay for the installation of a charger at an employee's home, but 16% leave the drivers to pay for everything themselves.

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