By 2030, there could be 26 million electric vehicles (EVs) on US roads, according to research by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Naturally, there’s a corresponding rise in the infrastructure needed to support EVs. Charging station installation consultants help lay out a roadmap for your business’s investment in its EV charging environment.
The ICCT reports that the total number of public and workplace chargers will need to increase by 27% annually until 2030 to support the projected number of EVs.
Stakeholders include EV owners as well as utility companies, government at every level, and private businesses, together contributing to a projected $4 billion investment.
But it’s not as simple as the purchase and installation of hardware. If your business is interested in tapping into the growing market for EV chargers, charging station installation consultants can help navigate the complexities of this burgeoning technology. The right charging station installation consultants have the experience, the connections, and the expertise to help your company define its goals and achieve them.
What Do Charging Station Installation Consultants Offer?
Someone must supervise your company’s start into EV charging. You have three options:
Train personnel from within your company
Hire an expert from outside the company
Hire a consultant who specializes in EV charging solutions
Providing Expertise
An EV charging station consultant is an expert that helps your business incorporate a plan to serve electric vehicles. But why would you choose to hire one instead of arranging for EV charger installation on your own?
Because EV technology is so new, there are few subject matter experts. Consultants provide a comprehensive understanding of all the aspects involved with EV charging station installation. And that helps your company find and implement its solutions faster.
Understanding the Sense of Urgency
Congress passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill in November of 2021 which emphasizes the transition to electrical vehicles. That means money will be available in the form of tax breaks, incentives, and grants for companies who choose to participate in building out EV charging stations. Because all enterprises compete for the same financial incentives, and a consultant can help you understand how to get to the front of the line.
Because all enterprises compete for the same financial incentives, a consultant can help you understand how to get to the front of the line.
Looking Beyond the Hardware
Charging station installation consultants are not in the business of selling you EV chargers. Instead, consultants seek to bring solutions to business enterprises so that you can run your business better as a whole once you incorporate EV charging. For example, many companies make the mistake of thinking about EV charging hardware first, without considering all of the complexities of the associated power management.
The real value of choosing an EV charging station consultant is to raise the level of your company’s questions—quickly. Consultants answer basic questions right away so that you can move on with a collaborative effort to find out how best to integrate EV charging into your business plan.
Finding Financial Incentives
Many businesses are unaware of the vast incentives, rebates, and grants available for companies that install EV chargers. Millions of dollars are available for your company if you know where to look.
Every state that offers tax incentives and grants has its own distinct program. Local utilities, too, will partner with your company in providing grants to enhance your electrical infrastructure as well as discounts on charging rates.
In many cases, this money could cover up to 100% of your upfront costs.
But awareness of the pool of money is not enough to obtain the maximum financial help for your company. Applications are complicated, and the right consultant can help navigate the requirements and get you to the front of the line.
How Do Charging Station Installation Consultants Help You Plan?
The decision to enter the business of EV charging involves more than just plugging in a charger. Forward-looking businesses need to think about the entire charging environment and how EV charging fits with the plans of their enterprise.
Goals and Objectives
Charging station installation consultants talk to you about your company’s goals and objectives. Why does your company want to install chargers? What do you hope to gain? How will EV charging work within your enterprise? And what is your timeline?
Site Design
Does your business think about EV charging as part of an entire ecosystem on your premises? For example, Future Energy’s EV charging solution, ChargeParc™, provides an entire charging environment. This includes clean, reliable structures, lighting, branded parking areas, and security systems.
Power Your EV Chargers
EV charging consultants coordinate your needs with your local utility, analyzing your electrical infrastructure and supervising any upgrades. In addition, consultants understand the ongoing costs associated with increased power and how to manage those costs.
What Distinguishes Future Energy among Charging Station Installation Consultants?
Future Energy helps your company throughout the entire process, from setting goals through the interpretation of metrics that your software collects.
Managing the Process from Start to Finish
Power management is a critical consideration as your company plans to move forward with EV charging. Future Energy works with the more than 3,200 local utility companies in North America throughout the process of installing your EV charging environment. The collaboration ensures that you have the proper electrical infrastructure.
Also, most utilities require you to network your charging stations, meaning they must be able to communicate with the utility meters automatically.
Integrating the Power of Data
Future Energy works with you to co-develop your strategy around EV charging stations. Part of the strategy involves the identification of metrics that you can monitor over time.
In fact, Future Energy’s entire charging environment is based on a network connection between the utility and your existing systems. Your company sets expected milestones in advance and then uses data to stay on track. From the beginning of your plan, Future Energy puts software and data analytics in place to automatically track key performance indicators.
Providing Proactive Monitoring with Interface
Interface is Future Energy’s software platform that connects, measures, and manages all of your company’s systems from one central interface. It provides seamless integration of your EV charging environments with your lighting, security, and other electrical systems.
Interface collects and monitors data in real-time, key to contributing to the ability of your business to analyze and predict potential issues. For instance, Interface monitors your peak load, meaning the highest demand you place on the electrical grid. It then proactively adjusts the electrical draw of your systems to keep your electric bill under control.
How Can My Company Collaborate with Future Energy?
Charging station installation consultants such as Future Energy have thousands of hours invested in EV charging solutions. Now is the time to get your company to the front of the line when it comes to developing your EV charging environment. Global interest is high and monetary incentives are plentiful. Contact Future Energy today to schedule your consultation.
Posted By Sam DiNello
Sam DiNello is Chief Executive Officer at Future Energy. He is an expert in the EV infrastructure space and passionate about innovative data-driven solutions that help companies access real-time intelligence for real-time action.
