Why smart companies should allow employee EV charging

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michael

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
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Location
Los Angeles, CA
I work for a smart company that allows EV charging, although there are occasional complaints that it costs the company too much. So here are numbers that show why it really is smart of them to allow it.

I have a 40 mile each way commute. So allowing for charging inefficiency, I put in about 12 KWH at work and 12 KWH at home. Call it $2 at each end. I pay $2 and the company pays $2. Since electricity is a direct cost, it costs the company about $400 a year to the bottom line.

Let's suppose their competitor ("Dumbco") across the street tries to hire me away. We negotiate an arrangement, but the remaining sticking point is that Dumbco refuses to allow EV charging, says it costs too much. I ask them if they will up their offer just enough to cover the difference in my out-of-pocket for fuel alone (never mind maintenance, etc) in switching back to gasoline, and they won't need to pay for all that electricity. If they agree:

1. My out-of-pocket for electricity was previously $2/day
2. My out-of-pocket for gasoline would become 80 miles/25 MPG, call it 3 gallons at $3.50 or $10.50 per day
3. My additional out-of-pocket is 10.50-2.00 = $8.50 per day; but this is after-tax money. If I'm in a 33% tax bracket (state and federal) I need to add $12.75 per day to my gross salary (before taxes) in order to have $8.50 to spend.
4. If they company has a 50% payroll overhead rate (to cover benefits, payroll related expenses, etc) then it costs them $19.12 per day to the bottom line, or $3825 a year.

So Smartco charged $400 a year to the bottom line and kept me happy because I got to drive my EV. Dumbco charges $3800 a year to make me whole, and I'm still pissed because I don't get to drive my EV, and now I'm paying for oil changes, filters, timing belts, all the ICE stuff. All they had to do was let me plug into a 220 V outlet and everything would have been OK.

So smart companies support EV charging and keep their employees happy at minimal cost
 
Ah but "dumbco"'s logic is: "I don't pay for everyone else's gas, why should I pay for your electricity? Its not fair to everyone else."
(Yes I've heard that statement)
 
I don't expect my workplace to allow me to "plug in", but they do. I only get a 120V outlet and I have to share it with other EV'ers. I get enough time on the outlet to charge my car for my commute to work every day. There is definitely a risk when purchasing an EV for commuting if you expect a charge at the other end. Hopefully the day I change jobs to a location beyond my round trip range, charging stations will be more plentifull.

The cost to the company is probably $1/day for me; a drop in the bucket really. The "fairness" to ICE drivers is a valid point, but even then, who said life was fair. I'm sure in the grand scheme of compensation from one employee to the next, I'm sure one can find larger gaps between individual compensation than a mere $1 or $2 / day. I'll use the company paid gym membership that I don't collect of offset my power use.

Anyway, to Michael's point, considering the retention of talent...or attacting new talent, free charging may be much more valuable to an employee than the actual cost of the electricity provided. Perhaps in the future, every company will have a row of charging stations; however, for now, this isn't the case and the value to an EV owner to have an EV friendly employer is a big positive.
 
michael said:
Pic of the parking area at a smart company....
Nice cross-section of the EV market there.

At my workplace, we are approaching 30 or so EVs. About half Leafs, a quarter Volts, and a mix of others (Model S, Spark, FFE). So far, mine is the only FFE. We have a total of 10 charging stations, so we need to coordinate charging.
 
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