It’s good for your employees, the environment and your business
In 2021, there were more than 200 electric vehicle (EV) models on roadways across Europe and North America alone. According to energy research firm BloombergNEF (BNEF), global passenger EV sales grew by 63% from 2020 to 2021, exceeding 6.5 million.
By 2040, zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) will make up 73% of all passenger car sales globally.
Driving an EV obviously helps reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is important to more and more people these days. But many people also choose to drive electric to save on fuel and maintenance costs, enjoy fun new technology, and cut commute time by having the ability to get into the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. You likely have employees who fit into each of these categories already or who may be mulling over the reasons to get an EV for their next car. Offering EV charging at the workplace not only shows employees that you are responsive to their evolving needs, but it may also serve as a way to encourage more EV adoption in your community.
BloombergNEF predicts that global passenger EV sales will increase from 10.6 million in 2022 to 20.5 million in 2025 — that’s more than 93%.
Source: BNEF | Countries: NA, Europe | Data updated as of June 1, 2022
According to Reinventing Parking, most vehicles are parked 95% of the time, the bulk of which is either at home or at work. That makes charging an EV pretty convenient for most drivers — they can just plug in when they know they’ll be parked for a while. However, when EV drivers don’t have access to charging at home, workplace charging becomes essential, whether they drive to work every day or spend only part of their week on-site.
But EV charging at work is much more than a convenience for existing employees who drive electric. It’s also a way to draw in top talent. For workers across many industries, environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility have become workplace imperatives — and EV charging options fit right in with that, even for people who don’t yet drive EVs.
According to a 2019 article in Inc magazine, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, and they are looking for socially responsible employers. Offering charging as an employee amenity is a highly visible way to show your commitment to sustainability and help employees reduce emissions from their commutes. It’s also a cost-effective, modern benefit that keeps you competitive in today’s job market.
Since a portion of your employees are likely either already driving EVs or considering making the switch soon, starting an employee EV charging program can be a great benefit. But what “going to work” looks like for organizations and their employees is now in flux. Better collaboration tools make remote work more feasible. People have become less willing to spend time driving long commutes on a daily basis. And some people are making an effort to drive less to help reduce GHG emissions.
Your employees may be:
Fully in the office
Hybrid: two or three days in office and two or three remote
Flexible: Coming and going according to day-to-day demands
Fully remote
The way you set up your EV charging program depends on your specific work environment. If all of your employees work in the office, set up charging stations to be accessible to employees only. If you have a hybrid work environment, make some chargers available to employees-only and some that are open to the public during nonwork hours. If your entire employee base is mostly remote or flexible, consider making all of your stations open to the public all of the time to ensure maximum usage. You can then charge a fee for public charging to help offset the cost of deploying your solution.
