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Electric Car charging points...

Anna Morris

Hi All,

This week one of our employees came to work and plugged her electric car in (via a wire through a window into our reception area). 

The CEO contacted me (having seen the wire when she arrived) to ask me what our obligations are in this regard. I told her none, we are no more obliged to charge an employee's car than we are to provide a petrol pump. However, we are a technology business and we are very keen to attract (and retain) 'Millennial's', so it has made my mind focus towards what we should consider in the future.

While we only currently have one employee with an electric car, I am conscious this is likely to increase fairly quickly over time.

We don't have proper charging points on-site and it is not practical (or safe) to have wires draped through windows.

I'm interested to know what other SME's are doing about this (if anything) and whether the wider Community believes this will soon become a deciding factor when employees are job hunting.

I would be particularly keen to have a chat with someone who has invested in charging points to hear their experiences.

I can honestly say this hadn't actually crossed my mind until this week....every day's a school day in HR!

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Parents
  • The car park in my office has regular 3-point electric sockets available where staff are able to charge their car, with prior permission. These can take up to 8 hours to fully charge an electric car battery, but if the car is sat there all day this is not a problem. The cost to the company per day in terms of electricity is very small. Of course if an employee is using this facility long-term then the cost will add up, but this needs to be balanced against the long-term benefits to the organisation and its staff. An organisation can promote it as part of its CSR plan, increase its attractiveness to potential employees, increase staff retention and be perceived as more forward-thinking. The number of people using 100% electric cars (as well as hybrids) will continue to increase and the reality at present is that the UK infrastructure is way behind demand, hence those using petrol/diesel cars do not need a supply at their workplace as there's most likely a petrol station a short distance away, where it will take a matter of minutes to refuel; while it's likely to be several miles to the nearest electric car charge point where it can take a minimum of 45 minutes to fully recharge. I'm an electric car owner myself and fortunate enough to not have to recharge each day at work, but can absolutely see the need and the benefit of this facility for those who live a distance from the office and need to recharge somewhere nearby.
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  • The car park in my office has regular 3-point electric sockets available where staff are able to charge their car, with prior permission. These can take up to 8 hours to fully charge an electric car battery, but if the car is sat there all day this is not a problem. The cost to the company per day in terms of electricity is very small. Of course if an employee is using this facility long-term then the cost will add up, but this needs to be balanced against the long-term benefits to the organisation and its staff. An organisation can promote it as part of its CSR plan, increase its attractiveness to potential employees, increase staff retention and be perceived as more forward-thinking. The number of people using 100% electric cars (as well as hybrids) will continue to increase and the reality at present is that the UK infrastructure is way behind demand, hence those using petrol/diesel cars do not need a supply at their workplace as there's most likely a petrol station a short distance away, where it will take a matter of minutes to refuel; while it's likely to be several miles to the nearest electric car charge point where it can take a minimum of 45 minutes to fully recharge. I'm an electric car owner myself and fortunate enough to not have to recharge each day at work, but can absolutely see the need and the benefit of this facility for those who live a distance from the office and need to recharge somewhere nearby.
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