Whether you’re installing chargers to serve retail customers, employees, tenants or your fleet, consider scalability. A couple of chargers may be sufficient today, but as EVs become more widespread, you may want to add more.

For multi-unit dwellings and workplaces, it is recommended to poll your tenants or employees to gauge their current level of interest in EVs. You may be aware of one or two drivers with an EV today, but there could be many more who are planning to purchase an EV soon. Knowing that now will allow you to plan ahead.

There are a variety of chargers available to choose from, and their capabilities should align with your needs. Here are some questions to consider exploring as you are making your decisions:

• What charging level is appropriate?
• Will you require usage data and billing capabilities?
• If the chargers will be shared by different types of EV drivers (ex., retail customers and employees), will you need to track data or have different pricing for access?

Each of these scenarios can be addressed in different ways based on the hardware and software capabilities, and understanding the the capabilities will provide you and the EV drivers with a better experience.

Choosing the appropriate parking spaces where to install the chargers may ultimately be determined by where electric power can be most cost-effectively accessed, but thinking about this ahead of time may help. Especially when thinking about future expansion, it may be best to consider a parking area with an ample number of adjacent spaces.

For multi-unit dwellings where parking spaces are either assigned or deeded with the resident units, understanding any limitations with where chargers can be installed will be particularly important and may impact the overall plan. For example, choosing to locate EV chargers in a shared or visitor parking area instead.

Additionally, while there are currently no specific local policies regarding ADA compliance, many business properties are trying to plan ahead by providing wider parking spaces, locating the chargers away from curbs or landscaping, and even blocking an adjacent parking space with diagonal striping. These considerations can help to support accessibility to EV chargers absent any specific local, state, or federal requirements.

Aside from the costs associated with Choosing the right chargers (above), installation costs could include upgrades to your existing electrical facilities or the main utility service. A licensed electrician will work with you and our teams to identify those requirements in advance.

Energy consumption should also be considered. Understanding the potential impact to your Tampa Electric bill, and how any of those costs might be passed along to the EV drivers, is important.

If you need assistance with this, one of our team members can help. Contact us at ev@tecoenergy.com.

All of the considerations above will determine the overall design and plan for installation of the EV chargers. The process will likely involve having to work through one or more permitting agencies which will take time.

Be patient, and if appropriate, communicate the overall plan with your employees or building tenants to keep them informed. They’ll be thankful for having access to EV charging and making them aware of the timeline will help to set their expectations.