EV Charging Resources
These resources will help fleet managers plan and pay for EV supply equipment (EVSE). Much of this information is summarized from the Milestones for Electrifying Public Fleets, prepared by the GTP.
Frequently Asked Questions: EV Charging Equipment
What is electric vehicle supply equipment?
Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) provides electricity to the EV charger—the part that plugs into the EV charging port. The speed of charging is a function of how many amps the EVSE can deliver, how fast the vehicle can store the energy, and the vehicle’s battery capacity.
What are the levels of EV charging?
- Level 1 (120 V AC): Best suited for use with plug-in hybrid vehicles or other very light-duty vehicles with smaller batteries. Requires a standard outlet protected by a 15- or 20-amp circuit breaker with a ground fault interrupt.
- Level 2 (240 V AC or DC): Best suited for use with EVs that are usually parked for 2 to 4 hours at a time. Utilizes a dedicated circuit protected by a circuit breaker rated for at least 40 amps. Mostly used in AC mode, but some applications for DC power are available for vehicles that can only accept DC power, such as some electric school buses.
- DC Fast Charger (usually 480 V DC): Typically used for 20 to 50 minutes at a time and can deliver an 80% charge in that time.
How long does it take to charge vehicles?
A handy resource for this information for light-duty vehicles is the Clipper Creek charging schedule.
Are state agencies required to install EV supply equipment?
RCW 43.19.648(5) directs agencies to install electrical outlets for charging EVs in each of the state’s fleet parking and maintenance facilities, to the extent practicable.
Are Level 2 chargers available under the state contract?
Yes. A variety of chargers are available through the state contract for EVSE (04016). At the state’s request, a dual-port Level 2 charger was recently added that can simultaneously charge two vehicles on dedicated lines. Less expensive options may be available outside of the state contract.
How do I decide between charging equipment options?
Level 2 charging is usually sufficient to meet fleet needs. Besides the power level choice, charger features may include timers, access controls, data collection, multiple ports and charging levels, ability to collect fees and, in some cases, advertising.
How can I find charging stations?
Many websites and smartphone apps provide charging locations, pricing, and availability, such as:
EVSE Resources
Get Ready to Apply for Grants & Incentives
As you work to identify state, federal, and utility financing opportunities to support EVSE procurement or hardware installation:
Charging Speeds, Ports & Specifications
EV charging is categorized by charging speed and power levels, and alternating current (AC) versus direct current (DC). The power delivered by utility equipment through transformers to buildings is AC. The batteries in EVs store and deliver power as DC. AC power, common for moderate-powered charging, must be converted to DC using the vehicle’s onboard charger. DC fast charging (DCFC) equipment supplies DC power directly from the utility service to the vehicle batteries, bypassing the on-board charger.
EV Charging: Speeds, Ports & Specifications addresses:
- Charging speed
- Charging ports
- Charging specifications
Vehicle-to-Charger Ratios
Provided here are details to consider when planning to increase the number of vehicles that can share a single charging port. At first, it may be easiest to plan for one vehicle per EVSE port, but as facility staff gain experience with EVs, greater vehicle-to-port ratios will be more efficient.
DEDICATED L2 — 1:1 non-networked
These are the simplest EVSE. Fleets often use dedicated L2 units behind a fence where they control access, but these units may also be placed near an entrance where usage can be monitored.
- Advantages:
- Relatively simple to install.
- Less expensive without network software and fees.
- No need for Wi-Fi service or software upgrades.
- Drawbacks:
- Internal data about charger use must come from a separate meter or vehicle data tracking systems.
- No electric load management so demand charges may kick in if lots of charging is initiated at once.
- No automated communication to learn about outages and repairs.
- Integrating telematics may be cumbersome.
- Operation notes:
- In-person technician repairs required f
or hardware or warranty issues. No remote restart.
- Creates an outage notification and repair initiation process among staff.
DEDICATED L2 — 1:1 networked
Dedicated L2 units are typically used by fleets to charge vehicles overnight and track electrical use by vehicle or department. Each vehicle has access to a dedicated EVSE port at an assigned parking stall. (See NEC 625 on continuous load and dedicated charging.)
- Advantages:
- Can be sized to meet unique charging needs of multiple vehicle types (light-, medium-, and heavy-duty).
- Combine with load management systems for expansion without expensive upgrades.
- Over the air remote software upgrades and technician trouble shooting.
- Drawbacks:
- Can be more expensive to install and operate (annual per-port software fees), and impact more parking spaces.
- Costly demand charges could occur if charging times are not managed.
- Additional costs for adding smart charging or third-party load management systems.
- Operation notes:
- Vehicle operators need to pick up the vehicle, disconnect the charging cable, return vehicle to stall when their shift is over, and reconnect the charger.
- Works well when:
- Facilities have a limited number of EVs and ample electrical capacity.
- Shared charging is not possible.
SHARED L2 — 4:1 networked with load management
Fleet vehicles have access to a shared parking stall equipped with charging hardware. Networked EVSE with a load management system may distribute electrical power and balance the load among EVs.
- Advantages:
- Spreads costs across multiple vehicles.
- Fleet operators can control when and how each EV is charged.
- Can reduce peak electrical load, which can reduce or avoid the need for electrical service upgrades and high demand charges.
- Can charge MHD vehicles with light- or variable-duty cycles alongside light-duty vehicles.
- Can capture data for usage reporting and clean fuel credit capture.
- Drawbacks:
- Higher initial capital investment and ongoing data and service cost with annual fees.
- May require a scheduling system to manage access to the charging port among drivers and vehicles.
- Operation notes:
- Adding network-enabled load management to dedicated charging makes sense on sites with many EVs with long dwell times.
- Engage a network provider that includes a warranty and/or hardware repair agreement.
SHARED L2 — Several EVSE shared by many EVs
Useful for municipal fleets with EVs that drive relatively few miles per day and charge overnight in shared parking stalls with access to L2 ports on a wall or pedestal. NEC 625 code allows for this type of charging on a continuous load but may require a technology solution or staff to plug vehicles in when one car reaches a full battery and the next vehicle needs to be charged.
- Advantages:
- Reduces initial investment costs.
- Can leverage existing or limited electrical capacity.
- With load management there is the potential to avoid or reduce peak demand charges.
- Drawbacks:
- Requires process management to ensure each vehicle and battery maintains sufficient charge.
- Vehicles or the port must be moved and may increase operational costs and/or require a change in fleet driver behavior.
- Operation notes:
- Requires rotating vehicles between shared L2 ports or moving the charge cord between vehicles.
- Makes sense when:
- Fleet vehicles typically drive less than 50 miles a day and have dwell times greater than eight hours./li>
- Staff manages charging by rotating charging cords or vehicles, or directing drivers to charging when needed.
Charging Network Options & Load Management
The choice of non-networked or networked charging equipment typically balances the needs at each site with costs of equipment, software, and employee time. You can use telematics equipment attached to each vehicle or a networked charging system to gather data about the new EVs and charging systems.
Non-networked systems
Non-networked charging systems have one functionality—off or on. They don’t collect data about charging events or power usage. Non-networked equipment may be appropriate at smaller or remote charging sites, where there is no public access. For clean fuel crediting purposes, power use may be captured on a dedicated submeter.
Advantages: Simple, reliable, no software problems, no per-port network fees
Disadvantages: No data collection, no alerts sent about nonworking equipment
Networked systems
Networked charging can be very effective. If you do not have an application to capture fleet data, the network software offered on the EV charging equipment may offer adequate reporting and data capture for your fleet.
Advantages: Networked EVSE gather usage data so fleet managers can:
- Understand and scale EV charging by identifying the number, time, and length of charges per day
- Identify vehicles and the power delivered to each
- Control access by determining if a user or vehicle is allowed to charge
- Sophisticated systems can allow use by the public and collect fees
- Allow remote control and troubleshooting of the charger
Disadvantages: Greater initial cost, networking fees, complaints about reliability:
- The network may use Wi-Fi or cell services to communicate data to the cloud about the vehicle plug-in, kWh usage, time-of-use (TOU) charging, and other valuable data
- Per-port cost for the software service and typically a five-year or annual fee, similar to the license fee for computer software
Telematics
Telematics equipment captures data about mileage, topography, and duty-cycles so current usage of the vehicles can be analyzed. If you already track the fossil fuel fleet with telematics, this may be an option with EVs.
Load management
Load management refers to the tools and techniques for managing all the loads on an electrical panel (buildings, vehicles, appliances) to optimize a facility’s total power capacity. The goal of load management is to share power capacity among many demands to minimize the need for upgrades.
For EV charging, load management refers to the tools and techniques for managing when vehicles charge and at what power level. Electrical infrastructure is built to support a defined amount of power (kW).
Demand charges are part of the electricity rate structure for commercial customers. It is tied to the peak power an electrical service is supplied in a month. Large spikes in demand are costly for a utility. These fees can dominate electricity bills for fleets that charge relatively few EVs per month. Customers can manage these costs through load management, which means maintaining a balanced demand for power over each day and month.
Power demand is the combination of all EVs charging and other loads on an electrical service or panel at a given moment. Knowing a site’s power demand is necessary when planning to install multiple charging ports at a site, and for scheduling how and when to charge different EVs.
Load management equipment and software are useful to control charging costs. Load management may also help:
- Reduce the total number of charging ports
- Minimize the need for utility upgrades
- Optimize infrastructure funding
- Support clean fuel crediting
Managed charging
This load management technique is used to balance the facility’s overall electrical load. By balancing EV charging, not all vehicles draw maximum power at once.
Software controls can orchestrate the vehicle charging demand over the available dwell time. Software programs can shift power usage within a facility or within a group of EVSE to:
- Provide increased power to fewer charging ports
- Provide decreased power to more ports
- Help operators take advantage of lower electricity rates
For example, if a facility has eight charging ports, and eight vehicles start charging all at once, this will create a significant draw on the facility power system. During a facility assessment, this load estimate may suggest the need for a utility upgrade. However, if the system incorporates managed charging, it can direct power to the eight vehicles at varying speeds and across the anticipated dwell times to reduce the facility load impact.
However, issues with connectivity and maintenance costs have led to a preference for a telematics-based solution over software controls.
Some electric utilities provide funding or incentives for managed charging. Active Managed Charging (V1G) programs offered by utilities will grow rapidly in coming years. V1G programs:
- Offer financial incentives for customers to voluntarily respond to grid events (opt in or opt out of grid events)
- Guarantee the customer a desired state of charge by a defined time of day but allow the utility to reduce power levels or curtail charging if needed during times of peak demand
Read more about this in the BE Toolkit.
By balancing EV charging needs, managed charging reduces costs across the spectrum by:
Reducing or eliminating utility make-ready costs (transformer upgrades or bringing more power to a site). Mitigating electrical service upgrades. For example, managed charging may reduce the need to increase panel amperage from 200 A to 400 A or 600 A, or for electrical panel upgrades (most commonly with smart breakers). Reducing electricity costs by leveraging dynamic rates and reducing demand charges. More utilities are designing rates to encourage EV charging when there is lower demand on the grid (off peak), such as overnight or when there is an excess of renewable energy. These rates reward customers with cheaper prices and help accommodate more renewable energy on the grid.
Smart breakers
Smart breakers can be cost effective by allowing additional L2 EV chargers on an existing electrical panel because they can share loads across the electrical panel. If an appliance ramps up its power level, the circuits supplying energy to the EV chargers can ramp their power levels down to balance the load. This dynamic balancing improves the efficiency of an existing electrical service and reduces costs. For example, a circuit for EV chargers that could supply 80 A would ramp down to a lower level when there are additional power needs, thus staying under the panel’s total power capacity.
Bi-directional, V2G, V2X, or V2B charging
Some EVs with large batteries can help balance the grid while maintaining sufficient charge for the workday through bi-directional, vehicle to grid (V2G), vehicle to everything (V2X), or vehicle to building (V2B) charging.
These vehicles offer resilience for the facility where they are parked, acting as a backup generator if there is a power outage. Ford’s F-150 Lightning offers this feature with optional equipment (Ford Intelligent Backup Power). GM and Ram will also offer this option with their upcoming pickups.
This is a rapidly advancing industry. Check with non-biased experts regularly to learn the current state of the industry.
Open Communications Protocol (OCP)
No matter which hardware or network system you choose, OCP can help you keep up with changes in the charging industry. If any EVs in your fleet have proprietary charging, in most cases you can install an industry standard and an adaptor will be available for your specialized vehicle. However, keep in mind that a proprietary standard may not fit with the rest of the growing fleet.
Estimate the power demands for your new EVs to identify the number and types of charging stations you will need for each location. Power demand is based on each vehicle’s duty- and drive-cycles and the levels of charging required.
Estimate Power & Charging Station Needs addresses:
- Things to consider
- How much electricity will you need to charge the new EVs?
- Calculate the charging load profile
Determine Where EVSE Should Be Installed
Determine preferred charging station locations & layouts
- Identify preferred parking and EVSE installation locations in relation to an existing electrical panel, utility meter, or cabinet with transformer.
- Keep in mind that back-in parking may affect access to the charging equipment.
- Decide if the EVSE be mounted on a wall, pedestal, or other configuration.
- Determine the proximity of charging stations to the electrical power service. Placing the charging equipment near an existing power supply will reduce cost, power loss, and time for installation. This is not always feasible and is highly dependent on the site.
- Analyze duty cycles to determine the charging needs of the fleet.
- For networked charging, ensure the location has adequate cell connection or Wi-Fi. This is typically only an issue in a parking garage or remote rural area. You may need to add a cell repeater to resolve this issue.
- Identify operating issues, costs, fees, and department policies and chargebacks (for a shared facility) that may make a potential charging location ideal, mediocre, or unacceptable.
Assess power capacity
Complete a site walk-through and an electrical survey for each planned charging location and the entire facility to identify electrical service and upgrades required to support charging infrastructure.
- Walk the site and facilities with a commercial electrician or other electrical professional.
- Investigate selected electric panels, meters, or utility access points to determine electrical load available for charging station use.
- Complete a load calculation for each panel and EVSE location. The electrical professional will work out the final load calculation and determine if unused or excess capacity is available for charging.
- Adjust the location of EVSE charging stations to be closer to the best electrical panel locations.
- Determine capacity required to add dedicated circuits for the planned EVSE.
- If a facility has insufficient power, consider using managed charging and load management software to maximize load from the panel.
Employ best practices
- Ask the property owner to identify electrical panels on the property and current electrical loads.
- Consider revenue models such as sharing charging stations with employees when they are not in use for the fleet or offering them for daytime public charging.
- Familiarize yourself with planned new construction on site. Consider integrating EVSE work with new construction or electrical projects already planned.
- Consider future proofing: add battery storage capacity, solar, or battery back-up for resiliency
Talk with Your Electrical Utility
Contact your utility when you have preliminary plans for adding EVs and charging equipment to your facility. The utility may have an EV customer specialist who can address technical questions, confirm the new electrical usage estimates, or explain if they have programs or incentives to support fleet or workplace charging.
Questions to ask your utility
- What is the time of use (TOU) rate structure, demand charges, or EV tariff in your territory?
- Are there other fees and costs?
- What are expected service upgrade costs?
- Is a commercial customer education program available?
- What are the costs and timing of utility shut-down during construction?
- Do they offer a set fee for pre-paid or bundled utility or construction permits?
- Will your utility:
- Help minimize rates and fees?
- Look for site features that require additional panel, transformer, electrical distribution line, or substation upgrades?
- Address applicable building codes and permitting processes?
- Discuss your installation plans and layout?
- Provide insights about customer-side energy management, power sharing, operation, or ownership models that have worked at other public sites?
- Identify capacity limitations at the location?
Future-proof your plans
When looking at the electrical capacity at a site:
- Consider additional EVs that might be added at this location, including additional charging stations you might want to add in the next five to seven years.
- Discuss these possible plans with utility representatives to see if you can save on costs by including work now that will be useful for future expansion.
- Continue to update the preliminary charging site layout, project budget, and timeline. Include the number of EVs that will be added to the fleet, and their makes and models.
Do public agencies have to set fees for visitor and employee charging?
Nothing prohibits or requires state agencies to charge an EVSE use fee for visitor or employee charging. At the same time, RCW 43.01.250 encourages EV use by expressly authorizing the purchase of power at state expense to allow charging by visitors and commuting employees. What is not clear is if “commute vehicles” refers only to vehicles enrolled in commute trip reduction programs, commute vehicles not enrolled in an official program but serving more than one employee, or any EV used for commuting by state employees.
The RCW is silent on the responsibilities of local governments to provide charging. Many local governments have decided that not charging a fee for employees or visitors is a “gifting” of public funds. Some allow free use of EVSE for an introductory period and others allow EV charging at no additional expense over standard parking fees. For employees, providing charging in dedicating parking spots for a flat fee with an automatic payroll deduction may be the simplest approach.