Workplace and fleet EV charging: a planning guide

Start with who is charging, and for how long

The most common mistake in workplace charging is choosing equipment before understanding how it will be used. The single most useful number is dwell time: how long a vehicle is typically parked at your site.

An employee parked for a full workday needs only modest power to get a meaningful charge. A visitor staying an hour needs more. A delivery van that returns at 6 p.m. and leaves at 6 a.m. can be fully charged overnight with Level 2, as long as charging is scheduled sensibly.

For most offices, warehouses and light industrial sites, Level 2 is the right answer. DC fast charging needs a much larger electrical service and is usually only justified for fleets with tight turnarounds or for customer-facing sites where quick stops are the business model.

Questions to answer before you call

You do not need a finished plan before talking to an electrician, but a few answers make the first site visit far more productive:

1. How many employees drive EVs today, and how many say they will in the next three to five years?
2. Do visitors or customers need to charge, or only staff?
3. Which fleet vehicles are being replaced with EVs, and when?
4. Do you own the building and lot, or lease? A landlord's approval may be needed.
5. Will charging be free, or will users pay?
6. Is there a planned paving, landscaping or renovation project the work could be timed with?

That last question is easy to overlook. Trenching across a lot that is about to be repaved anyway is far cheaper and less disruptive than cutting new asphalt next year.

Check the building service first

Every charger you add draws from the same electrical service as your lights, HVAC, compressors and production equipment. Before choosing how many ports to install, have a qualified electrician assess:

• The size and condition of the main service and switchgear.
• Actual peak demand, ideally from a year of utility billing data or a demand logger.
• Space in existing distribution for new feeders.
• Whether a load management system can share capacity across chargers.
• Whether a service expansion would be needed for your long-term plan, which involves the utility and can have a long lead time.

This is where an electrical load calculation pays off. It tells you how many chargers you can add now, how many with load management, and what it would take to go further. On larger sites, switchgear upgrades may be part of the plan.

Laying out the lot

Where the chargers go affects cost more than which chargers you buy. Long trenches, crossing asphalt and coring through concrete add up quickly. A good layout keeps chargers close to the electrical source while still being convenient and accessible.

• Pair stalls. A dual-port pedestal between two stalls halves the number of units and trench runs.
• Plan for Edmonton snow. Keep chargers away from where plows push and pile snow. Use pedestals and bollards built for impact.
• Include accessible charging. At least one charger should be usable from an accessible stall, with clear space around it.
• Run extra conduit now. Empty conduit to future stalls is inexpensive while the trench is open and saves digging up the lot later.
• Light it well. Good lighting helps people use the chargers safely after dark. See outdoor and security lighting.

Networked or simple chargers?

A networked charger connects to software that controls access, tracks energy by user, sets pricing and reports usage. A non-networked charger simply charges whatever plugs into it.

If you plan to charge employees or the public for charging, ask about current federal rules for how electricity sales can be measured and billed, since these affect which equipment qualifies. Incentive programs also change from year to year, so check what is currently available before you finalize the design.

Fleet charging

Fleet charging is a scheduling problem as much as an electrical one. If every van plugs in at 6 p.m. and charges at full power, the depot needs a very large service. If charging is staggered overnight, the same fleet can often be served by a much smaller one.

Winter matters here too. Vans that sit outside overnight at -30 C need extra energy for battery and cabin heating, and a schedule that works in September may fall short in January. Size the system for the coldest weeks, not the average.

Fleet management software, often tied to vehicle telematics, can prioritize vehicles with the longest routes the next day. Our fleet charging service covers the electrical design, installation and the load management setup that makes this work.

Permits, inspection and maintenance

All EV charging installations need an electrical permit. In Edmonton the City issues it; in other Alberta municipalities it comes from the municipality or its accredited agency. Larger projects may need engineered drawings, which our design team can prepare.

Once installed, chargers need occasional attention: checking cables and connectors for damage, cleaning, firmware updates and confirming the load management settings still match the site. We include chargers in commercial maintenance plans, with online reporting so facility staff can see every visit.

Common questions