With so many different chargers to choose from, it can be difficult to find the right one for your premises. This article will give you some things to consider before choosing your charge point and also we’ll compare our top 3 commercial chargers.
The first thing to note is the type of power at your premises. Most commercial sites such as factories, warehouses and larger offices will have three phase power, meaning more powerful chargers can be installed. Up to 22kW, type 2 chargers can be installed, giving an average charge time of around 5 hours. Sites with single phase power will be restricted to 7.6kW of power, resulting in slower charge times.
What is a dumb charger?
Chargers with no features, other than charging you car (known as ‘dumb’ chargers) should be avoided. It is likely EC charging will become a taxable benefit and monitoring how much electricity being used will be essential. Future proofing your businesses charging infrastructure will give you more benefits now and save money down the line. Smart chargers can connect to WiFi meaning power output, charge time and other metrics can be tracked via an app. Making it easier to manage expensive and keeping you in the driving seat.
How do you want your chargers to be unlocked?
There are multiple ways of unlocking your charger, making it easy to track individual charges and secure them when not in use. RFID tags, fobs and apps are the most common. Assigning profiles for staff or vehicles means employers can have total visibility of which vehicle is charging and how long for. All chargers installed by Charge and Recharge conform to the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP), making it easily accessible for users.
The last thing to consider is theWorkplace Charging Scheme(WCS) grant. Not all EV charge points are eligible for the grant, meaning you could be missing out on up to £350 off per socket. Businesses can get £350 off on a maximum of 40 sockets, that’s up to a £14,000 saving!
Charger | Hypervolt | Garo GLB-B | Garo LS4 |
Power Output | 3.7kW / 7.4kW (single phase) | 3.7kW / 22kW | 22kW (three phase) |
Mounting Type | Wall mounted | Wall mounted | Free standing tower |
Smart App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Load Balancing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
RFID | | ✓ | ✓ |
Warranty | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
WCS Approved | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Price | £ | ££ | £££ |
If you would like to discuss installing a charge point at your premises, please get in touch. Our team can help you choose the best charger for your business and guide you through the grant process.