EV Commercial Buyer's Guide

Electric Vehicles are becoming increasingly popular and that doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. With the ever-growing number of electric cars appearing on the roads, means an increased amount of EV chargers. Commercial property owners are having to accommodate more parking to allow EV vehicles and knowing what the best solution is for their business. 

In our previous guides we looked at both EV home chargers and EV charger cable. For commercial use, an EV network of chargers can be used for things such as employees, customers or for profitable gain. In this guide we will be learning more about commercial EV chargers and what to look out for as a first-time buyer.

Types of Charge

For electric cars there are two types of ways that you can use power to charge up your electric vehicle, these are Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). The range of kW can vary from 1.4 -7.4kW within the domestic charging industry. 1.4 – 22kW with AC charging and can go all the way to 350kW when using DC charging. 

AC Charging

With electric vehicles there is a converter built into the car known as the onboard charger. It will convert AC charge into DC charge which will then begin to charge your car. AC chargers are the more commonly used charger within the commercial industry and most EV chargers at your workplace or car parks will be AC. On our website we offer a wide variety of AC chargers for you to choose from.

DC Charging

Direct Current charging is different because the converter is in the charger itself and bypasses the onboard charger to directly charge your battery. You will usually find DC chargers in locations where rapid charging is required much quickly like motorways. We offer range of DC commercial charging solutions, just head to your local YESSS store and they will be able to guide you into the right direction.

Location

Once you have decided to implement an EV charging network into your business, the next step is to decide where you are going to place them. The first recommendation we would make is to have all of the EV parking spaces next to each other. This helps customers or employees know where to go when charging their vehicle but also makes it easier to expand the network once the demand for EV chargers increases. 

Network Control

For employee or residential commercial charging, you may want to limit access to who can use your EV chargers. This allows you to control who uses your chargers and when they can. This could also be used to stop unauthorised people from charging their charge on your EV network.

App Integration

Certain brands have access to apps which will allow your employees or residents more control of how they can charge their vehicle. This gives control over to your users and allows them access to things such as: off-peak charging, create charging records, and other more features on the app. The app integration is ideal for residential use as it will allow them to charge their EV at times when it is more energy efficient and will help you save money. 

Third Party Payment Software

For users who have multiple EV chargers which are used for commercial use. Third party payment software is a great way to easily control your chargers and will help you control your money in the process. Monta and Fuuse are great third-party software that gives the admin the control and helps you set up their EV charge network as effective as possible. Features include but are not limited to scheduled pricing, public and private mode, maximise uptime, set different pricing, and many more. 

The future of EV is growing each year and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Having commercial charging available to your employees and customers is a positive start to making sure you’re prepared for the future of electric vehicles.

Here at YESSS electrical we stock a wide variety of commercial chargers online or at your local store. If you speak to a member of staff, they will be able to assist you in making the right choice in purchasing your first commercial charger.