Commercial EV Charging
EV Charging Starts With the Electrical System Behind It
Adding EV chargers to a business or commercial property involves more than choosing the equipment and finding a place to mount it.
The number of vehicles, how long they typically park, available electrical capacity, charger locations, and plans for future expansion all affect the project.
Current Energy works with commercial properties throughout Western Massachusetts to plan EV charging around the property and the electrical infrastructure that supports it.
Start With Who Will Be Charging
Employees who park for eight hours have different charging needs from customers stopping for lunch.
Start with the vehicles, how the property is used, and what you may need a few years from now.
Then we can talk about chargers.
What Kind of EV Charging Does Your Property Need?
There isn’t one commercial EV charging setup that works everywhere.
A few chargers for employees at an office present a different electrical challenge from customer charging at a busy commercial property. How long vehicles stay parked is one of the first things to consider.
Workplace Charging
For businesses where employees remain parked for much of the workday, Level 2 charging can provide hours of charging time without requiring the speed of a public fast-charging station.
The number of employees who drive EVs today is only part of the picture. If more are likely to make the switch, planning for additional charging capacity now may avoid redoing electrical work later.
Customer and Visitor Charging
Restaurants, stores, offices, hotels, and other destinations may want to offer charging while customers or visitors are already on the property.
Here, dwell time becomes important. Someone staying for several hours has different needs from a driver expecting to get back on the road quickly.
Commercial chargers may also need networking, access controls, payment capabilities, or other features that aren’t typically part of charging at home.
Charging at Schools and Public Properties
Schools, municipal buildings, and other public properties may have several charging needs on the same site, including employees, visitors, and organization-owned vehicles.
That can make it especially useful to think about where vehicles park, when they’re on the property, and how charging needs may change over time.
Think About Tomorrow's Chargers Too
A property may only need a handful of charging spaces today.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the electrical infrastructure should be planned for only those chargers.
Future conduit routes, panel capacity, electrical service, parking layout, and space for additional equipment can all be considered before the first phase goes in. The goal isn’t to build everything at once. It’s to avoid unnecessarily starting over when the next chargers are added.
Level 2 or DC Fast Charging?
Level 2 charging is commonly used where vehicles remain parked for longer periods, including workplaces and destination properties. Charging happens over hours rather than minutes.
DC fast charging is designed to deliver considerably more power in a shorter period. That can be useful where drivers need to charge quickly, but it can also require substantially greater electrical capacity and infrastructure.
The right charging level depends on who will use the chargers, how long vehicles typically remain on the property, and the electrical infrastructure available to support them.
The Charger Is Only the Part You See
Behind every commercial EV charger is the electrical infrastructure needed to supply it.
That can include the property’s electrical service, panels, conduit, wiring, equipment locations, and utility connection. Add multiple chargers or higher-powered equipment and those requirements can become a significant part of the project.
This electrical “make-ready” work is often where commercial EV charging begins. Looking at it early also gives the property owner a chance to consider future chargers before deciding what infrastructure to install today.
Current Energy brings its electrical and renewable-energy experience to that planning process, helping connect the charger you see in the parking lot with the electrical system behind it.
From Parking Space to Working Charger
A commercial charging project starts with how people use the property and then works backward through the electrical system.
That means looking at more than the charger itself.
Decide Where Charging Belongs
The best charger location has to work for drivers and for the property.
Parking patterns, pedestrian routes, accessible spaces, distance from electrical equipment, snow removal, traffic flow, and the possibility of adding chargers later can all affect the layout.
The shortest route from the electrical panel isn’t necessarily the best parking space for a charger.
Understand the Available Electrical Capacity
Before adding a significant new electrical load, the existing system needs to be understood.
The service, panels, available capacity, and other electrical demands on the property can affect how many chargers the site can support and what additional work may be required.
This becomes increasingly important as the number or power level of the chargers increases.
Plan the Make-Ready Work
Conduit, wiring, panels, service equipment, utility work, and other infrastructure can represent a substantial part of a commercial charging project. This make-ready work can be one of the most important practical and financial considerations when planning commercial EV charging.
Planning that infrastructure with future phases in mind may make it easier to add charging capacity as demand grows.
Decide How the Chargers Will Be Used
A charger available only to employees may not need the same features as one intended for customers or the general public.
Depending on the project, commercial charging can involve questions about networking, user access, payment, monitoring, equipment management, and accessibility.
Those requirements should be identified before the equipment is selected.
Consider the New Electrical Load
EV chargers add demand to the property.
For some commercial customers, particularly those considering higher-powered charging, that can affect the building’s load profile and potentially its utility costs.
Understanding the electrical impact before installation is more useful than discovering it on the first electric bill afterward.
This is also where technologies such as load management, solar, or battery storage may become relevant depending on the property and the scale of the charging project.
Look at Solar and Charging Together
If the property already has solar or is considering it, EV charging becomes part of the larger energy picture.
The solar system and chargers don’t have to be treated as separate projects. The property’s existing and future electricity use can be considered when evaluating how much solar belongs on the site.
Parking lots can create another opportunity. A solar canopy can generate electricity above spaces that continue to be used for parking and EV charging below.
Consider Battery Storage Where It Serves a Purpose
Commercial battery storage can potentially add flexibility in how a property manages new electrical loads.
Whether storage is useful depends on the site’s load profile, utility rate, charging needs, solar generation, and what else the battery is expected to accomplish.
It shouldn’t be added simply because EV chargers are present. It needs its own reason to be part of the project.
Commercial EV Charging Incentives Change Quickly
Massachusetts has offered utility make-ready programs and state programs supporting qualifying commercial EV charging installations.
Utility programs may help offset some of the cost of commercial EV charging, but availability varies by utility, customer type, equipment, and project. Funding and program requirements can also change over time, so current incentives should be confirmed before they’re factored into the project budget.
A rebate can improve the economics of a project, but the project shouldn’t be planned around an incentive until current eligibility and funding have been confirmed.
Plan for the Chargers You'll Need Next
You don’t have to install every future charger today.
But if more EVs are coming, it’s worth considering them before the conduit, panels, and other electrical infrastructure go in.
A little planning now can leave room for the property to grow.
Battery Storage and Solar Don't Have the Same Federal Timeline
Massachusetts businesses and organizations may have access to state or utility programs that help with qualifying EV charging equipment or the electrical infrastructure needed to support it.
The details matter. Programs may apply only to particular properties or charger types, require approved equipment, limit how different incentives can be combined, or temporarily run out of funding for a particular customer group.
Before choosing equipment or building a project budget around an incentive, confirm what’s currently available for the property and utility territory.
Commercial EV Charging FAQs
What type of EV charger does my business need?
It depends primarily on who will use the chargers, how long vehicles remain parked, how quickly they need to charge, and the electrical capacity available at the property. Level 2 is common for workplace and destination charging, while faster charging serves different use cases and requires greater electrical capacity.
Can my existing electrical service handle EV chargers?
Possibly. The answer depends on the service, existing electrical loads, number of chargers, and charging power required. Evaluating available electrical capacity is an important early step.
Should I install extra electrical capacity for future chargers?
If additional EV charging is reasonably likely, it can be worthwhile to consider future conduit, panel capacity, service requirements, and equipment locations during the initial project. That doesn’t mean every future charger needs to be installed now.
Can commercial EV chargers work with solar?
Yes. Solar can be considered alongside EV charging as part of the property’s larger electricity use. The amount of solar generation, charging schedule, building loads, and utility connection all affect how the systems interact.
Do I need battery storage with commercial EV charging?
No. Battery storage is not automatically necessary for an EV charging project. It may be worth considering for some properties based on load management, solar, resilience, utility rates, or other energy goals.
Are incentives available for commercial EV chargers in Massachusetts?
Programs may be available depending on the property, utility territory, charger type, equipment, and current funding. Because these programs change, current eligibility should be confirmed before relying on a particular incentive in the project budget.
Plan the Installation Around the Lot
Building over an active parking area takes coordination.
Parts of the lot may need to close temporarily for foundations, structural work, electrical installation, and equipment access. For a business or public facility, that work needs to be considered alongside customer parking, employees, school schedules, public access, deliveries, and normal operations.
How the property needs to function during construction should be part of the planning.
Let's Talk About Charging at Your Property
You don’t need to know which charger to buy or how much electrical capacity you’ll need before contacting us.
Tell us who will be charging, where the vehicles park, how many chargers you’re considering today, and what you may need in the future.
We’ll start with the property and the electrical system behind it.
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