# Re: [EVDL] EVLN: Is EV charging at work a taxing issue?



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] EVLN: Is EV charging at work a taxing issue?*

It depends ... if the employer knows that and takes it to heart.
Decades ago, a group of HP Labs Engineers approached Bill Hewlett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Labs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Redington_Hewlett
After explaining the costs and the benefits, Bill wrote into 
the HP employee policy allowing access to electrical power for
employees that drive Electric Vehicles.

The first EVSE at HP was at Bldg 1 (HP Labs) where of the fours
spaces allocated, three were Level-1 (NEMA 5-20), and one was 
the same power as what today's Leaf EV uses, 3kW 208VAC (NEMA
6-20).

When I came on the scene, these outlets had been in place for 
years. I got to know those forward thinking Engineers (you had
to be sharp to work at HP Labs).

After requesting my own outlets at my site (about 15 miles away)
I began the learning curve of how to get them put in, and all
the painful situations to avoid from the hard-heads who were not
on board with giving free gasoline to other employees that they
could not take advantage of, etc.

Later, I was allowed to make presentations at other companies
when requested on how to do this (circa 1990's, and on my own
time and dime).

Even after explaining the costs, and that the effort to track
the pennies would cost the company more than the actual cost
of the electricity, other companies' upper management hesitated.

Three major obstacles that were the reason why those other 
companies' upper management did not move forward like Bill did,
were:

- They were obstinate and did not want to help any change to 
their future, no matter how goo d it was for the employees,
thus the company as a whole
http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/101/7b292ef6bd454ce0b3f3ccb489bf50f3/l.jpg

- Not being able to track every penny, and knowing the over
all PR benefit of having EV charging at company sites for 
both the employees and visiting EVs to use was an 'unknown'
for them, thus not a deciding factor.

- And for those in upper management that 'ran scared' of when
non-EV-driving employees might complain because they are not 
getting free gasoline from the company that those few EV 
driving employees were.

Over a period of years, some companies began to see the PR 
value with a number of media stories of 'How great it was to
work at HP' where it was mentioned that EV charging was 
provided (a sort of peer-pressure between companies, keeping
up with the Jones, etc.).

Most of the companies that were early adopters to providing EV 
charging, installed Level-1 as it was what most EV conversions
used (Production EVs on the street were far and few between at
that time). But it opened the door to the good PR value when 
those companies also has Transportation/Health/Eco-Fair's for 
employees that the media was invited to cover (photos of their
5-20 outlets in the newspapers, etc.)

Back then, like now, getting EVSE installed at work is a very 
long row to hoe ...
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/a+long+row+to+hoe.html

...

For the other HP EV drivers, some had a short like Cor mentioned
and others had a long commute that needed a serious charge when 
they rolled into work. Bill Williams of HP Labs had a converted
Honda Station Wagon who commuted from North of SF, CA to HP Labs
in Palo Alto, CA. 

Bill's EV has a new owner, but their EValbum page is
http://www.evalbum.com/2897
I am rather surprised that few have not copied Bill's EV design.
A 100 mile range using that old EV technology (pre-1990's), shows
that as an Engineer, Bill Williams was no slouch
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/no_slouch

In my case, my commute to/from my main work site was less than 
10 miles, but during the early part of career at HP when my 
position did not allow me to have an assigned company-car, to 
fulfill my duties, I needed to drive my own 'wheels' to and from
various nearby job sites. If it weren't for having access to EVSE
at work, I would not make it home in my EV conversion with the 
more common at the time, shorter-ranged PbSO4 wet-cell pack (
originally: a 120VDC T125 pack, range: 30 city/42 highway @ a 
constant 55mph).

Putting an outlet next to the bicycle rack is an excellent
idea, and just make too much sense. I never got any success
achieving that even at HP. Sadly, Electric bikes just did not
carry enough weight with upper management to even be 
considered (dumb).

Which is why at the EVS shows, I would talk to Electric 
bicycle manufacturers of the need to have a removable battery
pack that could be taken up to the riders desk to be charged
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Electric+bicycle+removable+battery

As well as riders could push their envelope by having a second
pack already charged to use anytime they wanted (they would not
have to wait for the 'one' pack to charge before going riding 
again).


{brucedp.150m.com}



-


> Mike Nickerson wrote:
> > Yuk.
> >
> > I hope that everyone at my employer (in the US and does supply free
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] EVLN: Is EV charging at work a taxing issue?*

NASA boasts the greenest Federal facility in the nation. They have also shut
off the outlets to EV parking spaces to prevent green employees from
mooching off the Agency.

I think removable batteries for e-bikes or scooters is a great idea. If
lithim air batteries ever become affordable I'll put mine on a wheeled
suitcase thingy and charge it at my desk.

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-04-28/


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