# Need Help Convincing Employer to Install Charging Station



## Tesseract (Sep 27, 2008)

FarFromStock said:


> ...I would like to include some calculations of what it would cost to charge my EV but am not sure how to estimate the actual power consumption during an 8 hour charge...


A conservative rule of thumb is to assume you will need 300Wh per mile, which for 15 miles means ~4.5kWh, or at the going rate of $0.11 per kWh, about 50 cents per charge 

Granted, this doesn't take into account any charging inefficiencies, but even if that was 50% overall it'd still only cost a buck per charge.


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## etischer (Jun 16, 2008)

A charging station sounds fancy and expensive. Maybe ask for a GFI outlet to be installed instead?


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## Sunking (Aug 10, 2009)

No offense offered, but why would it be your employers responsibility to supply you fuel to/from work?


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## FarFromStock (Mar 16, 2009)

Tesseract said:


> A conservative rule of thumb is to assume you will need 300Wh per mile, which for 15 miles means ~4.5kWh, or at the going rate of $0.11 per kWh, about 50 cents per charge
> 
> Granted, this doesn't take into account any charging inefficiencies, but even if that was 50% overall it'd still only cost a buck per charge.


Thanks Tesseract, that helps tremendously!




etischer said:


> A charging station sounds fancy and expensive. Maybe ask for a GFI outlet to be installed instead?


I guess I used the term charging station incorrectly. There are a couple companies in our area that have installed standard GFCI electrical outlets at the base of light poles in the parking lots and have put signs on them stating "Electric Vehicle Parking Only." I was hoping to get something similar installed at my work location.




Sunking said:


> No offense offered, but why would it be your employers responsibility to supply you fuel to/from work?


No offense taken Sunking. In my request to management, I fully intend to offer to pay for both the installation costs and the useage costs. I just wanted to have some ballpark estimate for them to determine if it is something worth considering as an incentive for their employees to either convert or buy plug in EV's. The Navy is currently on a "go green" kick. This Spring, they will be covering the entire roof of our building with PV panels. With my conversion nearing completion, I just thought it might fit into their overall green strategy.


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## Sunking (Aug 10, 2009)

FarFromStock said:


> No offense taken Sunking. In my request to management, I fully intend to offer to pay for both the installation costs and the usage costs.


Well that may be doable, hard to say. I own my own business, and if an employee asked me to do that I would require them to put up something. FWIW I am an electrical engineer and work with EC's almost everyday. Depending on the circumstances a dedicated 20-amp can get expensive real fast. 

I think the obstacle is determining how much the energy will cost, and how to measure it for compensation.


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

look around on the 'NET. there may be federal or state incentives to install such a device. I recall kalifornication has a $ 2500 grant.


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## 280z1975 (Oct 2, 2008)

I am willing to bet there is a grant out there the Navy can ask to pay for the installation of a charging point (baiscly a high-amp waterproof/outdoor plug). I mean there was what, 700 billion in stimilus, last year. There should be something left over from that!

As far as keeping track of the costs of charging, a watt-meter can be added, but few are as fool-proof as a standard meter (read, hard to cheat). 

Good luck.


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## mxmtech (Apr 21, 2009)

Regarding a cheap way to measure your charging cost at home.
An electronic energy meter costs maybe $15, each energy meter can handle 1800 watts at 110 volts.
2 energy meters plugged into separate 15 amp outlets can supply 110 volt 30 amps of power or 220 volts 15 amps depending on whether you choose outlets on the same leg of the panel or not.
This should be enough to fully charge your batteries in four hours.
You will have to wire a DIY harness to join the two sources of power together.
This way you wouldn't need an estimate, you would have hard data.


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## dataman19 (Oct 7, 2009)

Employer Installed EV Charging Stations???
..
Yes - this should be a simple fix...
..
First of all:::
If you live in the United States the Federal Government reimburses all costs associated with the installation of an "employee EV charging Station".
..
This is allocated in the U.S. Advanced Energy Initiative of 2006. Also in the Alternative Energy Act and also implemented in the economic recovery act (something about having electricians install EV recharging stations generating jobs)...
..
The NREL is the authority here is a source document for one of the agency's Colorado projects:
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy07osti/41410.pdf
..
Here is the NREL Small Business assistance portal - a lot of good dribble here:::
...
http://www.nrel.gov/applying_technologies/businesses_institutions.html
...
But over all - the IRS will refund the cost of installing an EV Charging station for "Employees" use.
..
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/incentives_laws.html
..
This last link should provide you with the silver bullett....
..
Good luck..
If you need any more assistance - don't hesitate to email me...
..
Dave Mason
Arizona Bio Fuels Research
(A contract NREL Research Firm)
[email protected]
dataman19


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## iss407 (Dec 6, 2007)

FarFromStock: 

Did you have any luck getting the Navy to let you charge up? I am a civilian working at an Army installation and I want to do the same thing as you. I got my car running last Fall but it isn't ready for the commute yet. I'm waiting for the Spring melt to work on it more. I have a 45-mile commute one way, so I'm going to be pushing the limits.

The energy tsar on post is trying to find a way to get this done. He says he knows that PEVs are coming and wants to know what to do to support us. Somebody must have done this before.

Thanks,


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## FarFromStock (Mar 16, 2009)

iss407 said:


> FarFromStock:
> 
> Did you have any luck getting the Navy to let you charge up? I am a civilian working at an Army installation and I want to do the same thing as you. I got my car running last Fall but it isn't ready for the commute yet. I'm waiting for the Spring melt to work on it more. I have a 45-mile commute one way, so I'm going to be pushing the limits.
> 
> ...


No luck yet. Everyone I've talked to is a little nervous about it since it's a DIY car. I haven't pushed it lately because I'm still a couple months away from completing the project.


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## iss407 (Dec 6, 2007)

I don't think they are nervous here, just perplexed. You know... The right way, the wrong way and the Army way. I've worked her long enough to know that the Army way _never _coincides with the easy way. 

The guy who is in charge of the energy program here is a EV buff and wants to build his own car. I think everyone on base would enjoy the good Green publicity a story in the local news would bring. They just don't want to start it off right since I would likely set the standard for how this will be handled in the future. Actually, it is refreshingly farsighted for this bunch. Since I'm not ready to actually commute myself I don't mind waiting. I just want to push because I know it takes a long time to get anything done around here.

Is there any kind of inexpensive kiosk commercially available that can meter a standard 120v or 240v outlet? Something inexpensive that MWR could set up and manage? Maybe the Navy MWR could do it for you too; set some up first-come first-serve stations around the base beside light posts in parking lots and users could set up an account at MWR to take care of the billing.


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## pgt400 (Jul 12, 2008)

Sunking said:


> No offense offered, but why would it be your employers responsibility to supply you fuel to/from work?


You kidding, with all the money the government wastes..they will jump at the oppurtunity to waste more!


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## iss407 (Dec 6, 2007)

Massive governmental waste aside, many employers these days are doing all kinds of different things to improve employees' quality of life for many different reasons: Bringing pets to work, company cars, on-site child care, lunchtime massages (happy endings for the executive officers only, of course . Providing a parking space for an employee to park and charge is hardly extravagant, especially when the employee pays for the electricity.


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## etischer (Jun 16, 2008)

*Looks like your employer might be able to write off 50% of the cost of an EV charging station in tax credits. *

*http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=210607,00.html*
* 
**Increase in alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit.* For vehicles placed in service after 2008 and before 2011, the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit (claimed on Form 8911) is increased. For property that relates to hydrogen, the maximum credit per location is increased to $200,000. *For all other property, the credit percentage is increased to 50% and the maximum credit per location is increased to $50,000 ($2,000 for nondepreciable property).*


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