Charging at Work

[Clintonfitz]

I will most likely get a Volt this summer. Of course, we will install a charging station at home so we can charge there. However, does anyone have any experience with charging stations and their installation at work? Are you charging using a 110v, or have you had your workplace install a 208v charging station? Also, I was wondering the price of the Clipper Creek JS1772-2009 Level 2 charging station. And the price of the Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint CT2000 charging station?

Thanks. Any help is greatly appreciated

[DarkStar]

I will be charging via a 120 volt outlet at work. The principal of the company is actually pretty excited about me getting my LEAF and when I asked if I would be able to charge at work he stated that if nothing special had to be installed "why not?" :-)

Some employers have varying opinions (policies), but I've noticed that people's opinions quickly change once I explain the actual "costs" of charging. The Clipper Creek CS-40 was selling for $2,250 for Electric Auto Association members ($3k list price), but I'm not sure that promotion is available anymore. If I was having one installed here, I would probably expect to pay an additional $1k for installation, mostly due to the 50 foot trenching to the parking area...

[ammPilot]

My former employer (in the midst of a job change) has a parking garage. When I got my Volt, I scoured that garage looking for 110V outlets. Found a bunch along one of the back walls, all lined up nicely with parking spaces (though a little hidden from view behind concrete bollards).

The company is moving soon; had I stayed, I would have started talking with people there about 220V charging stations.

We'll see how things shake out with the new employer, once I'm reasonably settled and have scoped out the landscape (literal and figurative).

[bonaire]

If you're at work 8 hours and a Volt recharge is 8 hours - why would we want to see 220v recharging stations which each seem to cost $thousands when 110V recharging is just about free?

[Marc Lee]

If you're at work 8 hours and a Volt recharge is 8 hours - why would we want to see 220v recharging stations which each seem to cost $thousands when 110V recharging is just about free?

Certainly there are people for whom 120v charging at work will work.

However for many it won't. If you live in a very cold climate, your commute one way exhausts the battery charge, or you sometimes or frequently run errands at lunch or go anywhere during the day (doctors, dentist, whatever) you may have no possibility of completing the charge on 120.

I charged at work using 120v for about a month and mostly it worked out, but because things "happen" sometimes it didn't always. If I had a 240v at work I would have always had a full charge waiting. Plus the ability of the 240 to precondition the cabin is much greater.

The 240 Voltec is $490. After tax credit that works out to $343. Yes there is still installation to deal with, in my case I was able to do the work using materials already on hand. Most won't be so lucky but you know where there is a will....there is a way.

[ammPilot]

If you're at work 8 hours and a Volt recharge is 8 hours - why would we want to see 220v recharging stations which each seem to cost $thousands when 110V recharging is just about free?

Certainly there are people for whom 120v charging at work will work.

However for many it won't...

Exactly. A nominal 8 or 9 hour charge with an errand at lunchtime won't top you off at 120V.

Many companies in the SF Bay Area provide some form of alternative commute incentives: money to cover car pools, subsidies for mass transit tickets, etc. Some are starting to provide EV charging stations. It helps demonstrate support for and encourage these kinds of commuting.

[Clintonfitz]

Certainly there are people for whom 120v charging at work will work.

However for many it won't. If you live in a very cold climate, your commute one way exhausts the battery charge, or you sometimes or frequently run errands at lunch or go anywhere during the day (doctors, dentist, whatever) you may have no possibility of completing the charge on 120.

I charged at work using 120v for about a month and mostly it worked out, but because things "happen" sometimes it didn't always. If I had a 240v at work I would have always had a full charge waiting. Plus the ability of the 240 to precondition the cabin is much greater.

The 240 Voltec is $490. After tax credit that works out to $343. Yes there is still installation to deal with, in my case I was able to do the work using materials already on hand. Most won't be so lucky but you know where there is a will....there is a way.

Marc,
I do have access to a 110v outlet at work. And it would be fairly easy to run a 208v line to my current spot. Or I could start parking at a different part of the lot, near one of the light posts. I eat lunch at work, and do not normally leave during the day. So, it wouldn't be that much of a problem to charge with the 110v; more of a convenience aspect. There are people that can install the charging station at no cost to my workplace. We already have all the materials necessary for installation.

Is it possible to purchase a 240v Voltec for a commercial installation? If so, this would definently be the most economical way to do it.

[Clintonfitz]

My former employer (in the midst of a job change) has a parking garage. When I got my Volt, I scoured that garage looking for 110V outlets. Found a bunch along one of the back walls, all lined up nicely with parking spaces (though a little hidden from view behind concrete bollards).

The company is moving soon; had I stayed, I would have started talking with people there about 220V charging stations.

We'll see how things shake out with the new employer, once I'm reasonably settled and have scoped out the landscape (literal and figurative).

Okay. Interesting, Alan. Keep us posted on how your charging situation is at the new location

[DonC]

Some employers have varying opinions (policies), but I've noticed that people's opinions quickly change once I explain the actual "costs" of charging.

Good to hear you'll have a chance to charge at work. The extra charging miles work well for the Leaf and the Volt, for different reasons. For the Volt it means more EV miles. For the Leaf it means more range, which sometimes you will need.

I also think you've correctly identified the cost issue. For employers it's going to be the cost of installing a 240 Volt charger. One charger will be at least $1000, and that's a lot to ask if only one or two people are going to use it. They're much more likely to offer 120V charging which, frankly, should be good enough in most cases. In an hour you'll get 5 extra miles. Plus I'd rather charge at 120V and not have to worry about moving in order to let someone else in the spot after charging is complete. (You can't unplug the Volt without setting off an alarm if the car is locked).