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Key Mistakes When Installing EVC: RAW Charging’s Top Five Considerations

Installing Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) is an exciting period, a time when you’ll add to your business site’s facilities, future-proof your premises and earn an additional stream of revenue.

All of this and more is available with RAW Charging’s exciting Host Ownership, a partnership option in which RAW will install and manage your charging facilities completely free of charge while still benefiting from that revenue share mentioned above. 

Thanks to the attention and expertise of RAW’s fully-funded EVC solutions, you need not worry about the ins and outs of installation and maintenance. However, there are some aspects to consider ahead of the installation process.

 

  1. Hardware

The beating heart of your EVC, getting the right mix of hardware is essential for achieving optimum performance and reliability from your facilities. It’s also vital to ensure that your EV charging hardware is future-proof and able to deliver for decades to come.

 

  • Installing CE-certified hardware – Many people wrongly assume all EVC hardware is CE-certified. However, uncertified products are numerous, and many businesses are tempted to install cheaper equipment. In such cases, it quickly becomes apparent that investing in legitimate hardware is the safest and best investment.

    Thankfully, RAW Charging only uses certified hardware with rigorous performance and environmental testing, including testing against all weather types.
  • Providing the correct type of charging station – Ensuring that EV drivers have access to the right mix of chargers is essential for attracting motorists to a destination. 

    For example, if your location lies on a major trunk road or off a motorway, a DC charger would attract passing motorists who can benefit from the rapid charge times of this type of EVC before continuing on their journey. 

On the other hand, an AC charger will benefit locations where dwell time is encouraged, and a full charge can be achieved during the duration of the driver’s stay, e.g. at hotels and retail parks.

Additionally, each type of charger will generate indirect revenues around the EVC site and direct income from the facilities themselves.

 

 

  1. Location

Picking a suitable location for your EVC facilities is paramount to attracting drivers and maximising the potential of your site and its subsequent revenue. Therefore, you should consider the following: 

 

  • Accessibility Your EVC location should be visible from roads and junctions and positioned so access is easy and stress-free, no matter how busy the site is.

    Similarly, the EV chargers within the facility should be positioned for ease of use, allowing ample room for vehicles to park up, space for drivers to enter and exit their cars, and plenty of room for vehicles to manoeuvre around the site without risking an accident.

    You must also consider ease of access for those with mobility issues, ensuring that your site has the proper facilities in place and that charging equipment is easy to use.
  • Demand – Your charge station should be located in an area with a high demand for EVC or a site that will benefit from an upcoming investment and the building of new facilities.

    Locations with high concentrations of EV drivers are recommended, as are places where people spend a lot of time, e.g. shopping and leisure centres, retail parks, hotels, gyms, golf clubs and workplaces.

 

  1. Investing in the Right EVC Solution

A significant mistake when considering EVC installation is picking the wrong ownership option. 

Unfortunately, many sites are unaware of the various options available to them. Therefore, companies must provide them with an in-depth strategy or assign hardware and facilities that best serve their location. 

Most EVC companies offer standalone options for owning EV facilities, either via a direct sale of equipment or a fully-funded package in which the company owns the equipment. 

Ownership options

RAW Charging is the only EVC supplier to offer three choices of ownership, making sure that a singular solution isn’t forced upon site owners, offering clients ultimate flexibility, expertise and advice on the best fit from the below options:

 

  1. With the fully-funded Host Ownership Option, you’ll benefit from a personal touch and expert input from start to finish. In addition, RAW’s charging systems are installed for free, ongoing management and maintenance are supplied, and you’ll earn a revenue share.
  2. RAW’s Purchase Upfront Option allows site owners to pay for their EVC facilities in full. This fee includes the hardware, software, installation and maintenance of the charging system.
  3. Site owners can manage expenses in monthly instalments if they choose the Pay Monthly Option. This monthly fee includes hardware and installation and allows site owners to own the assets at the end of the three or five-year lease period. 

RAW’s team will: 

  • Assess the opportunity of your location to determine aspects such as potential customers, the footfall of your site and whether it benefits from an existing power supply.
  • Implement a technology strategy that works best for your site and its visitors. Once RAW’s team knows your site’s opportunities, they can obtain planning permissions, decide which charging technology will perform best, and offer advice on where to position your EVC facilities.
  • Provide delivery of hardware and facilities as per your preferred charging set-up. Using reliable suppliers and trusted installers, RAW will have your EVC facilities up and running at the most convenient time.
  • Offer aftercare services, including a stress-free, helpful introduction to the EVC software. But, of course, with RAW, you’re not left out in the cold. The team is always available to help with queries and provide ongoing site management where needed.

 

  1. Load Management 

With a busy EVC site comes large numbers of vehicles and a high volume of drivers plugging their cars in simultaneously. This scenario presents its problems and specific load management issues that one should be aware of.

 

  • Demand during peak hours – As one person charges their EV, they’ll achieve full power from their charger. However, drivers will share this power once a second vehicle plugs in at the same site.

    As more and more drivers park up and charge, the power will be diluted to simultaneously accommodate all vehicles at the site.
  • Time of use pricing – One means of influencing when EV drivers use your site and subsequently aiding with load management is to adjust pricing.

    For example, you can offer lower electricity rates during off-peak hours to encourage EV owners to your site at specific periods. RAW works alongside you to implement the perfect EV strategy and pricing options as part of our onboarding process

 

  1. Flexible Billing Options

Offering EV drivers flexible billing is essential. Doing so considerably widens the net and adds to the appeal of your location over rival EVC sites. 

RAW Charging’s platform and software allow site owners this flexibility where others don’t. In addition, these billing options will enable you to offer different rates for different guests at different times of the day, for example:

 

  • Alternate pricing for conference delegates during conference hours
  • Linking billing to guest’s hotel room rates
  • Capitalising on peak shopping times at retail parks
  • Offering reduced charging rates for staff during work hours
  • Reducing billing prices at crucial periods to encourage passing trade

 

If you’d like to take advantage of RAW Charging’s expertise and fully-funded host ownership, please don’t hesitate to contact the team, who will happily help and get you on track to having your site assessed for EVC facilities.