Your 6 step guide to installing EV chargers at your business
Convinced of the benefits but confused about where to start? Hereâs what you need to know about installing EV charging for your business.
Youâve made the decision to install EV charging at your business, but now find yourself overwhelmed with the technical side of the decision; what to install, who to ask and trust?
Installing chargers at your business is a smart investment that will draw in more customers, guests, and even employees. But getting the right installation for your business isnât obvious as the choice of units and installation set up is vast. Success comes down to asking yourself some key questions about your business, and being properly advised by a trusted installer.
To help you make the right decision, we spoke with James Guthrie of WeAreEV, a veteran in the EV space, and combined his insights with our own to help you ask the right questions - and avoid the wrong solutions.
Who are WeAreEV?
A specialist in EVs since before it was cool, WeAreEV was founded by James Guthrie, who cut his teeth in renewable energy and helped install some of the UKâs earliest chargers. They now focus on two things: selling used EVs and installing chargers (home and commercial), including solar integrations. Theyâre NIC-approved, which means they know their stuff.
1. How do I find a trusted EV charger installer?
Most businesses turn to their electrical contractor as a first port of call. If this is you, then make sure they have previous experience installing chargers as there are some considerations to be made for EV charging that we share below which need forethought.
If you donât have a trusted electrical contractor, we suggest using the governmentâs own website of approved EV installers. This not only ensures your chosen supplier is qualified, but also ensures you can access any grant funding available for infrastructure & installation from OZEV, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.
2. What type of EV charger do you need - and how many can your site handle?
Start with demand. Around 1 in 10 vehicles on UK roads are electric. If youâre serving company car drivers - think hotels or business parks - that figure could be higher. For leisure destinations, lower.
So ask yourself:
How many EVs show up each day/week/month?
How far do visitors typically travel?
How long do they stay?
These questions shape how many chargers you need - and what kind. A good electrician will tell you what your power supply can handle. But you need to lead with what kind of experience you want to offer.
Hereâs a rough guide:
7.4kW chargers â Best for longer stays: hotels, leisure destinations, workplaces, transport hubs
22kW chargers â Suited for shorter visits: gyms, spas, golf clubs
âIf your Customers cars are going to sit there overnight, you want to plug them all in at 7kW for better value. Whereas if EV Drivers are staying for a short period of time then a faster charger is better.
The issue with talking about kWâs is that it's diïŹcult to explain because you're talking about single phase versus three-phase electricity suppliesâŠpeople just sort of glaze over at that point.
But when you break it down into, âits going to take this long to charge on this specific vehicleâ, it's useful to just have an example of a vehicle, the penny dropsâ â James Guthrie
You donât need to be an electrical expert. You just need to be clear on how your business operates and what your visitors expect.
Still not sure what you need? See our handy Range Calculator to understand how different charging speeds convert electricity into range for a variety of the more popular EVâs in the UK.
3. How will you handle payments and reimburse electricity?
You might choose to offer charging for free. Thatâs totally fine - if it brings value through extra dwell time or increased sales. But if you want to recover your costs, it needs to be effortless for the driver and the business.
You need to know:
How drivers will pay for their charging
How prices are set, and who sets them
How and when you receive payment
Important: UK law requires public chargers over 8kW to offer contactless payments. [Weâve written more on this here.]
âIdentifying the need for driver payments is important to get clear from the get go. Apps are not necessarily available for every type of charger and retrofitting payment terminals is complex and costly. Donât end up in the position where your EV chargers are useless as your wider business needs to set a tariff for chargingâ â James Guthrie
4. Who maintains the charger - and handles issues?
Charging units need upkeep, so think beyond the box on the wall. Make sure you discuss with your contractor to identify who covers the following:
Inspection schedules
Warranty details
Ongoing maintenance
Remote support
24/7 helpline options
If something breaks down, your front desk staff wonât be the ones to fix it - and nor should they.
âIt's when things go wrong that the robustness of your EV charging investment will be tested. Your receptionist or member of sales staff are unlikely to be able to âfixâ a charging problem and that is probably going to be frustrating for the driver. Maintenance is a must and ideally, the EV charger has a driver helpline that is available 24/7â â James Guthrie
5. What should you think about beyond the charger itself?
User experience is key to repeat custom. So think about signage, bay width and cable choice. These are the small things that make a big difference - especially for first-time EV drivers.
âIf you have the chance and the bays are not already marked or already allocated then definitely worth planning in some extra room. Cars are bigger now and the standard parking space needs to be bigger full stop. If chargers are being retrofitted to existing parking bays, then it can be tight. I would, for example, suggest that if you've got five spaces, why don't you turn that into four, and remark the bays as part of the installation.â â James Guthrie
6. How should I plan for future expansion?
The number of EV drivers on the road is growing. Today, 1 in 5 cars sold are an EV, by 2030 the forecast is 4 in 5 cars. Government legislation, rising petrol prices, and a wave of new, cheaper models means that your venue is going to see more plug-in vehicles. Soon.
And evidence shows drivers are already filtering their choices.
80% look for charging when booking hotels
50% wonât book a venue unless EV charging is available
Meanwhile, only 6% of hotels currently offer it
Short-term: itâs a competitive advantage. Long-term: itâll be expected.
Plan for growing demand. It will save you money.
The bulk of installation costs lies in the groundwork: installing distribution boards, cabling, trenching, and setting charger bases. A small increase in infrastructure today can make future upgrades much easier and cheaper.
âIf youâre going to go to the trouble of digging up the ground and reinstating it, then adding a little more ducting at that stage makes sense. Ducting is only around 70 quid for a 50-metre roll... A bit of future proofing like a slightly bigger distribution board and more ducting is minimal versus the cost of the charging unit itself.â â James Guthrie
Destination Charging: Itâs more than just hardware
Deciding to install a charger is just the start. As a business owner, you need to be thinking about the whole experience for your customers - speed of charge, accessibility, payment, maintenance, support and future growth. By asking yourself and your electrical installer a few well placed questions you can reduce risk and ensure you are future fit.
âEach business might look the same on the outside but have different requirements to the one next door. We very much look at every job and every client and ask: whatâs the best value for what you're trying to do - now and in the futureâ â James Guthrie
Feel ready? Download the Voqa EV installation checklist
To help you navigate this process, weâve compiled a check list of questions to ask your business and your EV installer to ensure you get the right charger for your business needs.
