Here’s why you should be considering installing an EV charging station on your business premises

Modern offices have changed drastically over the last twenty years. The Googleplex HQ nap stations and massage beds have set the tone for a whole new office environment becoming the norm, not the exception.

As businesses have come to realise the need to increase employee benefits if they want to attract the best workers to their team, they have also noticed it pays to increase efforts at sustainability to front and centre if they want to expand their customer base.

Just as investors are starting to ask questions about the carbon footprint and green energy commitments of companies before they invest in them, so have job applicants begun inquiring about how committed a future employer or company is to saving the planet.

As the workforce girds its loins to return to the post-COVID office, companies have to start thinking about what benefits to offer workers in addition to their salaries. One benefit that will catch an employee’s interest is the business’s commitment to combating climate change. In the eyes of many workers, electric mobility is crucial when it comes to fossil fuel energy alternatives.

How EV charging stations are part of the modern office evolution

A green energy-friendly office catches the attention of potential workers and customers. It’s no longer good enough to pay lip service to sustainability: it has to be seen to be believed. Taking meaningful action to support the sustainability cause has become the number one key expectation from millennial workers (83 percent of employees in this age group say they would be loyal to a business or company that prioritises making significant contributions to sustainable initiatives and environmental issues).

What is CSR?

CSR stands for corporate social responsibility. It refers to the different strategies businesses and companies put into action to be part of the solution, not the problem. CSR ensures that company operations are both beneficial and ethical for society on a local, national, and global level.

The best place to address sustainability in the workplace is to implement green strategies such as Reduce / Reuse / Recycle:

• Think about making the office a paper-free environment
• Buy recycled office supplies
• Donate old office equipment to a charity or institution
• Power off everything at the end of the work day
• Green office cleaning supplies

And of course the number one way to show workers and customers that your business cares about them and the environment is to implement and support environmentally-friendly transportation policies.

Electric Car Employees and Customers

Not only have the number of EVs on our roads increased over the last few years, but because the price of new and used electric cars is coming down, the chances of your workers and customers owning one gets higher every year.

This means that having an EV charging station on your business premises will attract and retain customers and employees. Companies don’t feel pressured to install EV charging stations for their workers and customers to use: they do it because it’s the right business practice to do in the mid- to long-term.

Access to an EV charging station as part of the employment package attracts new talent to a business workplace. With the changeover to electric mobility accelerating, any business that shows itself willing to keep pace with an infrastructure that includes EV charging stations for the public will stand out from others. Customers and employees who travel from urban areas might not have the option of charging their EVs at home; they will be looking for companies and businesses that double up as a charging destination.

According to research, over 40 percent of EV drivers in the UK and Europe charge their EVs at work, and a further 20 percent of drivers say they would like the option to charge at work or at a business. This number will only go up as NZ drivers make the switch to electric transportation.

Statistics show that businesses that offer EV charging stations are seen as more appealing. If your business model includes sales operatives that have to travel as part of their service delivery, it’s vital for them to make the switch to EVs, and with the Tesla truck coming out soon, the range of driving service EVs can perform will be broadening every year.

With business fleets going electric and companies installing EV charging stations on the premises, it looks like this change will be one of the main ways road transportation becomes decarbonised. If a company doesn’t get ahead to support the electric mobility ecosystem, it could affect their brand significantly.

Will installing an EV charging station have a positive influence on the workplace and office?

If you are the business owner or commercial space owner or simply renting, having a charging station on site improves the reputation of the company. Charging stations are noticed by both visitors and workers alike because it speaks to the company’s commitment to sustainability.

You can also extend the reach and influence of your brand by placing the accessibility of the EV charging station on the map. By pinning the location of the charging station on Google maps, it raises the profile of the company in an organic way.

So not only will your business benefit from offering an EV charging station for workers and customers, but it can provide an extra source of income via public accessibility too.

If you want to know more about how your business can benefit from installing an EV charging station, please contact us today.