Useful information about EV charging at your business

Getting charging infrastructure for your business has many benefits. Here’s some important things to keep in mind: 

Whether you’re looking to charge your own fleet or provide handy top-ups for visitors, you’ll want to put your chargers in the best location possible. If you choose to work with Meridian, our expert team will help guide you through this process. Chargers that are hard to access or not immediately obvious won’t be used as much. This can cause issues for your team or you’ll miss an opportunity for the general public to use your chargers.

Aside from convenience, certain locations will work better if they have existing electrical infrastructure. We can give you all the tips and tricks to make your charging work for you!

We know charge means two things in EV land. But we’re talking about the type of charging station you’ll have at your business. There are two different levels of charging that can be installed: 

• AC, standard charging that tops you up in a few hours – a cost-effective solution for vehicles parked overnight – known as ‘Level 2 Charging’ 
• DC, fast charging that provides a good charge in 30 minutes. While these are more expensive, they’re a great choice for a business that have vehicles coming and going regularly.

Level 1 chargers that are used overnight at home aren’t right for businesses as they take too long – not ideal for public use or keeping your fleet topped up and ready to go at a moment’s notice! 

There are some costs involved, including the maintenance of the charging point. You’ll also want to decide who’s going to pay for the charging – you or your users. Some businesses offer free EV charging to encourage people to visit.

Installing EV charging is a bit of a process and comes with a cost. It’s a good idea to plan ahead and decide whether you’ll need multiple charging points in the future. You could save some coin by planning ahead and installing more chargers initially, rather than paying for another installation. On the other hand, you shouldn’t commit to more than you need. Electrical infrastructure can allow for additional points to be added later without major rework. 

Understand how your EV charging station is being used with monitoring and usage data. This will help you decide on pricing, charging times and any future expansion that might be needed.  

Any new public charging points will need to follow certain regulations and standards in order to be installed. If you work with Meridian, we’ll help guide you through this process. You can also find out more information about compliance and charging infrastructure on NZTA’s website.