EV Charger Installation
A business process to install chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) begins by partnering with an EV charging consultant and identifying your business use cases. A thorough project analysis launches, beginning with planning ideas and ending with implementation.
What comes in between, though? What does EV charger installation involve and how do you prepare your site? What timelines and costs do you need to think about? Future Energy helps answer these questions and handle all of the complexities involved with the process of EV charger installation.
PREPARING ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
In many ways, planning EV charger installation is like putting together a puzzle. As one question is answered, another pops up. The process is a give-and-take, balancing your business needs with logistics and cost.
HOW DOES THE TYPE OF EV CHARGER AFFECT POWER NEEDS?
The type of EV charger you select determines what kind of electrical infrastructure you require. Level 2 chargers run off 240-volt electricity, similar to a heavy-duty appliance like a clothes dryer. They charge an EV at about 40 miles per hour.
On the other hand, level 3 chargers run on industrial-grade 480-volt three-phase power. They are the fastest EV chargers available and sometimes called direct-current fast chargers (DCFCs). The equipment internally converts the alternating current (AC) from the grid to the direct current (DC) that the EV’s battery requires. DCFCs can fully charge an EV in about a half hour.
HOW CAN MY BUSINESS PLAN FOR EV CHARGING NEEDS IN THE FUTURE?
Regardless of the type of charger you choose to install, Future Energy recommends that you futureproof your infrastructure. The choice to install level 3 infrastructure immediately prepares your company for potential future needs.
Even if you are planning to install only level 2 chargers, you can minimize future business disruption by installing 480-volt power now. This avoids the need to re-dig electrical conduits, should you later desire to upgrade.
WHAT SORT OF PERMITS DOES EV CHARGER INSTALLATION REQUIRE?
Required documentation varies from site to site. Some jurisdictions require a permit for the installation of the electrical vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) itself. Others require building permits only for ancillary structures, such as a canopy to cover the charging location.
Additionally, the EV charger installation process requires electrical permits, which could take from a few days to a few months to obtain, depending on how busy the jurisdiction is.
Future Energy identifies and submits all of the necessary permits for your EV charger installation, and we coordinate installation with the local utility.
WHAT DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED TO QUALIFY FOR FINANCIAL INCENTIVES?
At the federal, state, and local levels, significant financial incentives exist for EV charger projects. Future Energy’s Financial Incentive National Database (FIND) tool identifies up to 99% of available incentives for our clients. In many cases, this money offsets nearly 100% of EV charger installation cost.
Future Energy follows the processing of your documents and keeps you informed about all aspects of your project’s progress.
BALANCING EV CHARGER INSTALLATION FACTORS
Future Energy works with you to resolve the intricate balance in determining the ideal location for your EV chargers. Of course, the location needs to work for your business needs. Public-facing chargers should be easily accessible. Chargers for a dealership’s inventory may work in the lot, in the showroom, or in the repair shop.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
Sometimes, a desired charger location is quite a distance from the power supply. The conduit must run underground, either in a trench or using directional ground boring, a method for laying underground wires that minimally impacts the surface.
A trenching system requires digging through pavement, pouring concrete, installing reinforcing mesh, and waiting for the new concrete to cure. This process could take from five days to several weeks. Directional ground boring is less disruptive but costs more.
CALCULATING COST PER FOOT
The length of the electrical conduit affects cost, which is generally calculated per linear foot. Costs range from $15 to $50 per linear foot. The variation depends upon how quickly the job must be completed, the hours that the contractors will be working, the complexity of the site, and other factors.
FACTORING THE GAUGE
The thickness of the electrical wire, or gauge, affects its ability to carry current. (Lower gauge numbers indicate thicker wire.) Long conduits require lower-gauge wire, which is more costly.
MINIMIZING BUSINESS DISRUPTION
Future Energy works with our clients to determine the amount of business disruption you can tolerate and discuss alternatives. If your EV charger installation site has high traffic, for example, we may need to conduct the job off hours.
ESTABLISHING A RELIABLE EV CHARGER NETWORK
Once EV chargers are installed, Future Energy takes care of connecting them online to each other, to your other smart systems, and to the EVSE manufacturer’s larger network.
Future Energy handles all of the backend complexities so that power management is simple and reliable. Your IT specialist does not have to worry about managing another network.
TRACKING ELECTRICAL USE
Your business can easily monitor power use through Future Energy’s Interface software. Interface connects your EV chargers to your lighting, video surveillance, HVAC, and other systems. You can monitor and control all intelligent systems from one centralized dashboard on any device at any time.
ACTIVATING THE NETWORK
If your EV chargers are available for public charging, Future Energy connects them to the cloud network of the EVSE manufacturer. Future Energy takes care of the testing, controls, and activation so that your EV chargers are visible in the apps that EV drivers use to locate chargers.
Future Energy also installs a secondary network on your property to avoid changes to your existing networks. We integrate a device called Interface Edge, which acts as a separate router and communicates with the internet via satellite. Interface Edge connects to the electrical panel and reads energy use from all your smart devices for Interface to aggregate and analyze data.
MAINTAINING EV CHARGERS PROACTIVELY
Interface uses data received from your equipment to monitor the system’s health. If your EV chargers don’t meet the parameters that you have set in advance, the system proactively sends alerts. For example, Interface analyzes performance to ensure the EV charger provides a certain number of kilowatts. If the system detects an irregularity, Future Energy contacts you before you even detect there’s an issue.
Alternatively, the property owner can submit a maintenance request directly to our client service team through Interface. Future Energy immediately responds to help with warranty claims or other resolutions.
Additionally, Future Energy offers a comprehensive inspection service that handles operation and maintenance concerns after EV charger installation. The annual site inspection offers hundreds of points of quality control equipment that includes the tools and infrastructure. Your company receives a detailed report following the inspection.
FINDING HELP WITH EV CHARGER INSTALLATION
Future Energy takes care of the entire end-to-end process of EV charger installation, from project planning to construction management to operation and maintenance. Contact Future Energy to get started with your EV charger installation today.
Included With Future Energy’s EV Dealership Solution
Future Energy’s complete, EV vehicle charging solution delivered as a turn-key environment.
Future Energy’s data visualization and management dashboard that connects all intelligent building systems.
Future Energy’s intelligent building systems solution that integrates your property’s lighting, climate, safety monitoring and more.
Rebates & Financial Incentives
We work with technology imbedded hardware that involves aggressive government and utility tax credits, rebates and grants that drastically improve your cash flow. Contact us to find out what funding is available helping you choose the right hardware. Our team will work with you and the incentive program holders to get your application approved and processed quickly.
