Planning workplace EV charging starts with who parks, for how long and how far they drive. We cover how many chargers to install, the right power per bay, capacity checks, access control, cost recovery and solar. A good workplace charging plan starts with people, not hardware: how many staff and visitors drive EVs now and in the next few years, how long their cars stay parked and how far they travel. Because staff cars usually sit in the car park for most of the working day, a modest AC charger per bay is normally enough, and load management lets several chargers share the site's spare capacity. Decide early how access and costs will work, and plan cabling for the chargers you will need later, not just the first two.
How many chargers?
Start with a short staff survey: who drives an EV now, who plans to within a few years, typical commute distance and whether they can charge at home. Then consider:
- Staff who cannot charge at home, such as apartment residents, rely most on workplace charging.
- Visitors and customers usually need fewer bays, placed near the entrance.
- Pool vehicles parked on site need dedicated bays of their own.
- Accessibility: consider making at least one charging bay accessible, with clear space around the charger.
- Rotation: a charging etiquette or time-limit policy lets one charger serve more than one car a day.
A sensible approach is to install chargers for current demand while running conduit, cable tray and switchboard capacity for the numbers you expect in several years. Connecting a charger to a prepared bay costs far less than trenching or cabling twice.
How much power per bay?
Match charger power to dwell time. The figures below assume a common EV consumption of 15-20 kWh per 100 km and are approximate:
| User | Typical dwell time | Suggested charger | What it can add |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff on a full shift | 7-9 hours | 7 kW AC, often shared through load management | Far more than a typical commute uses |
| Staff on part days | 3-5 hours | 7 kW AC | Roughly 100-230 km of range |
| Visitors and clients | 1-2 hours | 7-22 kW AC, depending on vehicles | Roughly 35-45 km per hour at 7 kW |
| Customers on quick stops | Under an hour | DC fast charging, if the business case supports it | Depends on vehicle and charger |
A staff member with a 50 km round trip uses around 8-10 kWh, which a 7 kW charger replaces in under two hours. That is why most workplaces do not need high-power chargers for staff bays.
Check capacity before you commit
Several chargers running at once can add significant load, and for businesses on demand tariffs an uncontrolled charging peak can lift the monthly network charges. Before choosing hardware, we check the main switchboard's capacity and spare space, the site's measured maximum demand and how far cables must run to the bays. Where headroom is limited, load management caps total charging power and shares it between the cars plugged in, which can avoid a costly supply upgrade. For larger sites, an Electrical Capacity Study logs maximum demand to show how much capacity remains for chargers and other new equipment.
The type of car park also shapes the work. Open-air car parks may need trenching or pedestal mounts to reach bays away from the building, while basement and multi-level car parks raise questions about cable routes through fire-rated structures and the building owner's requirements. Identifying these early keeps the quote accurate and avoids variations once work starts.
Access control and cost recovery
Decide how the chargers will be used and paid for before installation, because it affects which chargers and software suit the site:
- Open staff benefit: the simplest option, but keep usage reporting so costs stay visible.
- Card or app access: limits charging to authorised staff or visitors and records who used what.
- Per-kWh pricing: recovers electricity costs from users, including visitors.
- Time limits or idle fees: keep bays turning over once cars are charged.
Networked chargers that report energy per user make it easy to change the model later. If you provide charging as a staff benefit, ask your accountant how it should be treated, as we do not give tax advice.
Charger features worth paying for
Workplace chargers run every day in shared spaces, so a few features matter more than they would at home:
- Network connection and open protocols, so chargers can be managed, updated and moved to different software later.
- Load management support that works across the whole group of chargers, not just one unit.
- Per-user reporting that finance teams can export without manual work.
- Remote diagnostics, so many faults can be identified without a site visit.
- Durable outdoor construction and cable management for exposed or public-facing bays.
- Local support and warranty backing from a supplier with parts available in Australia.
Screens, lighting effects and very high power ratings add cost without making staff charging work better. We schedule installation work to limit disruption to parking, with the final switchboard connection arranged at a quiet time.
Pairing chargers with solar
Workplace charging is one of the best matches for solar, because staff cars are parked through the middle of the day when an array produces most. A commercial solar system can supply chargers directly, and chargers with a solar-matching mode can favour surplus solar that would otherwise be exported. On sites with limited supply or high demand charges, a battery can also smooth charging peaks. We look at the site's whole daytime load before estimating how much solar is realistically available for cars.
What it costs
On our energy market, Workplace EV Charging starts from $4,990 for two 7 kW chargers installed, set up for staff and visitor use, and an Electrical Capacity Study starts from $1,490 per site. Both prices are indicative and confirmed after a site assessment, which checks cable runs, switchboard work and any trenching the car park layout requires.
Next steps
Survey your staff, note how long different groups stay parked and gather recent electricity bills. See how we approach charger installations on the EV chargers page, and if you are considering solar at the same time, read about our commercial solar work. Then request a quote and our team will inspect the car park and switchboard and recommend a charger count and layout.
Frequently asked questions
Should we choose tethered or socketed chargers?
Socketed chargers suit workplaces with many different vehicles, because each driver uses their own cable and there is no cable to be damaged or left across a walkway. Tethered chargers are more convenient and suit dedicated bays where the same vehicles return daily. For public-facing bays, also consider vandal resistance, cable management and weather exposure, and confirm the connectors suit the vehicles likely to use them.
Do we need landlord approval to install workplace chargers?
If you lease the premises, almost certainly. Chargers involve switchboard work, cabling through car parks or common areas and sometimes trenching, all of which usually need landlord consent under the lease. In a strata industrial or commercial complex, the owners corporation may also need to approve work on common property. Agree in writing who owns the chargers, who maintains them and what happens at the end of the lease.
How do we manage staff who leave cars plugged in all day?
Set a clear charging policy before the chargers go live. Common approaches include a roster, a maximum connection time, notifications when a car has finished charging and idle fees after a grace period. Networked chargers can send alerts to drivers and give the business usage reports, which make it easier to see whether the policy is working or whether more chargers are needed.
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