WORKPLACE CHARGING
USE CASE 02
We all love a "win-win" situation, but what about a "win-win-win"? That's what's available to us when we're considering workplace charging which can create a win for the employee, the employer, the utility customers, and the broader community as a whole.
Arizona has over 125,000 registered electric vehicles as of 2025 according to Arizona Department of Transportation, up from about 35,000 in 2020 and growth is expected to continue. Sufficient charging infrastructure will continue to be one of the challenges for EV owners, and charging needs to be where the vehicles are. The ability to charge at your place of work can be a huge incentive for switching to electric. Daytime workplace charging can align with Arizona’s peak solar production creating a “good load” that supports grid efficiency. How can we make this happen?
Why is this Use Case 'In the Money'?
Let's break down the Workplace Charging "win-win-win" we mentioned above. Who are these winners we're talking about?
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Employees - People are continuing to go electric. It ends up that many EV owners quickly lose their range anxiety, but every EV owner still appreciates knowing where they can get a charge if the need it. Employees overwhelmingly view workplace charging as a highly valued perk that boosts job satisfaction and signals a company's commitment to sustainability. The US Department of Energy's project on this subject summarized employee's sentiment as follows:
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Strong Job Perk: Staff see it as an attractive benefit that improves their overall work-life balance.
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Commitment to the Planet: Workers view employer-provided charging as a sign of environmental responsibility.
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Significant Savings: Free or discounted power drastically reduces daily commuting costs.
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Reduced Stress: Employees appreciate not having to make extra stops at public chargers.
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Reliability Over Speed: Staff prefer a larger number of slower, reliable chargers over a few fast ones.
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Environmental Culture: Younger workers correlate these policies with higher job loyalty
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Employers - Employers view workplace charging as a strategic, low-cost perk that boosts employee satisfaction, aids in recruitment, and supports corporate sustainability goals. Specific benefits include:
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Talent Recruitment: EV charging serves as a highly visible benefit that helps attract top talent in a competitive job market.
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Employee Retention: Access to charging at work increases employee job satisfaction and reduces turnover.
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Sustainability Goals: Providing charging stations demonstrates a company's real commitment to reducing carbon footprints and promoting green initiatives.
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Corporate Image: Offering this amenity improves public and stakeholder perception, framing the business as a modern, forward-thinking employer.
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The Broader Community - Workplace charging benefits the broader community by cutting local air pollution, stabilizing the electrical grid, boosting the regional economy, and accelerating the shift to clean energy. These community-wide advantages extend far beyond the individual employee driving the electric vehicle
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Cleaner Air and Public Health
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Fewer Emissions: It lowers transportation-related greenhouse gases and toxic tailpipe pollution, which improves local public health.
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Electric Miles: It allows hybrid drivers to rely purely on electricity for their commutes, rather than gas.
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Stronger Electrical Grid
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Daytime Charging: It moves charging demand to the daytime, soaking up extra solar energy.
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Less Evening Strain: It prevents all EV owners from charging at the same time when they get home from work.
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Accelerating Use of Responsible Energy
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Visible Leadership: Companies that offer charging lead by example, encouraging other organizations to adopt technologies with substantial personal and community benefits
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Overcoming Hurdles: It removes "range anxiety" for the workforce, encouraging more people to buy clean-energy vehicles
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Key Success Factors from Early Adopters
Implementing a successful workplace charging program requires strategic planning across four core areas: assessing demand, optimizing infrastructure, establishing fair policies, and leveraging financial incentives. By combining employee surveys, smart energy management, and supportive policies, employers can build a scalable, cost-effective amenity that attracts talent and supports sustainability goals.
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Assess Demand and Secure Stakeholders
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Before purchasing equipment, it is vital to determine current and future usage. Poll staff to gauge how many employees drive electric vehicles (EVs) or plan to buy one.
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Assign a project lead from HR, facilities, or sustainability to oversee the rollout.
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Secure leadership support by highlighting how charging boosts talent retention and meets corporate ESG goals.
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Optimize Infrastructure and Hardware
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Planning a smart, scalable installation saves money on construction and avoids major disruptions to your business's power supply.
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Work with your facility team to assess existing grid capacity before upgrading panels. Learn about solutions that allows sharing of electrical loads across multiple chargers to prevent overloading the building.
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Understand the right level of charging. Level 2 chargers are generally the "sweet spot" for offices, offering a full charge during the standard workday. However, don't discount the opportunities that Level 1 chargers provide. Many employees with shorter commutes can re-coup the energy they consume on a Level 1 charger, and the lower cost of installation can open up opportunities for substantially subsidized or free charging.
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Consider running conduit and wiring infrastructure for future stations now to avoid expensive digging later.
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Establish Clear Charging Policies
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Having strict usage and administrative rules ensures fair access and keeps the program running smoothly.
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Consider limiting charging sessions (e.g., 4 hours) to encourage workers to move their cars. There are also EV charging management apps with waitlist features so employees know when a charger frees up.
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Decide whether to offer free charging as a perk or charge a fee to cover electricity costs and manage congestion.
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Clearly communicate rules that require cars to be actively plugged in and moved once charging is complete.
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Leverage Utility Incentives
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Check with your local utility provider, as many offer rebates for purchasing and installing EV hardware.
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You can also still use the U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center to identify other opportunities for incentives.
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Case Studies
Recent case studies from 2024–2026 highlight that workplace charging has moved from a "nice-to-have" perk to a strategic tool for employee retention and sustainability.
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MetLife provides one of the best examples of a large-scale corporate rollout across multiple campuses.
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The Goal: To support a workforce where a growing percentage was shifting to EVs but lacked charging at home (urban dwellers).
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The Result: They successfully installed Level 2 stations across their major U.S. hubs, using a shared-access policy to ensure turnover. They found that employees with workplace charging were 6x more likely to switch to an EV.
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Hypercharge Case Study: Software Company (Free Model). A 2025 analysis of a North American software company showed how "Free-then-Fee" models manage charger congestion.
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The Strategy: The company installed four Level 2 chargers. To encourage office attendance, charging is free for the first 3 hours. After 3 hours, a $25/hour idle fee kicks in to ensure others can use the spot.
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The Result: 98% of sessions ended before the fee began, and employee satisfaction scores related to "office amenities" rose by 18%.
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Regional Transit Agency: Paid Cost-Recovery Model. A transit company (documented in 2025) installed six Level 2 chargers for staff.
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The Strategy: Since they did not subsidize gas for other employees, they opted for a paid model set to "cost-recovery" rates (covering electricity and maintenance only).
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The Result: Over 2.5 years, the usage grew exponentially as staff saw the convenience of "fueling while working" at a lower cost than public fast chargers.
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US Department of Energy: Federal Workplace Charging. The DOE has released a 2025 program guide based on the successful electrification of federal facility parking lots.
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Key Insight: They recommend a "Charging as a Service" (CaaS) model for organizations that want to avoid upfront capital costs. This subscription model covers hardware, installation, and software for a flat monthly fee.
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