A corporation that built its reputation as a global leader in energy management and automation was enthusiastically embracing the imperative of achieving net-zero emissions. Its mission statements and sustainability activities have received industry recognition on several occasions over the past few years.
The company’s current targets focus on practices that will reduce emissions by 30-50 percent by 2030. Among the tactics pursued was an increased reliance on electric alternatives to fossil fuels.
As a tangible sign of its commitment to furthering electrification and fulfilling its sustainability goals, the company explored opportunities to integrate EV charging infrastructure at its North American headquarters in the Northeastern part of the United States. This case study examines the background, challenges and solutions related to this initiative.
Situation
The company, a prominent player in the energy sector, recognized the growing need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure for its employees, visitors, and vendors. This recognition aligns with the company’s commitment to sustainability and its desire to provide value-added service to stakeholders.
The company embarked on a project to install Level 2 EV charging stations at its North American headquarters to address this demand.
The corporate headquarters are located in an area where annual temperatures can range from 5° F or below in winter to 91° F or above in summer, requiring a robust system designed to withstand these diverse temperatures. In addition, that area of the country can be subjected to “Nor’easters,” powerful cyclonic storms that often impact the East Coast, causing strong winds and heavy rain, sleet or snow precipitation.
Challenges
- Determining optimal charger quantity: Deciding upon the number of charging stations to install involves striking a balance between meeting current demand and allowing for future growth.
- Integration with existing infrastructure: Ensuring the new EV charging stations integrate seamlessly with the host company’s existing power infrastructure is essential. Compatibility issues or an inadequate power supply could lead to operational issues.
- Availability for employee and/or visitor usage: The company needed to define the primary purpose of these EV charging stations, whether for employees, visitors, vendors, or a combination of these audiences. Companies need to manage EV charger usage to prevent congestion properly.
Solution
The host company collaborated with EV Connect, which provides software and hardware solutions for managing and optimizing electric vehicle charging infrastructures. Together, the two entities developed a comprehensive plan to address these challenges and maximize the benefits of their EV charging infrastructure initiative:
- Sizing the installation: The company initially installed ten Level 2 EV charging stations, with plans already underway to install ten additional charging stations.
- Infrastructure integration: The company also ensured the new chargers were compatible with its existing power infrastructure to avoid costly future upgrades.
- Availability and usage policy: The stations are dual ports, with a connector on either side of the L2 unit, enabling two vehicles to charge simultaneously. This helps most efficiently utilize the space allotted for the chargers. In addition, the company has established clear policies regarding EV charger usage.
BTC POWER brings diverse strengths to the table as the selected EV charging partner
Most importantly, this major energy company chose to work with BTC POWER and selected its L2 30-40 Amp Dual Port chargers for installation in its parking lot at headquarters. Various reasons guided this choice, the foremost being BTC’s domestic manufacturing capabilities, stellar service reputation, and advanced charging technologies. The L2 dual port chargers supply an ideal solution for a corporate parking facility due to certain outstanding features such as:
- Certified excellence: CTEP-certified for top-tier performance and reliability.
- Dual port efficiency: Dual ports rated at 30/40 Amps each can charge a vehicle parked on either side of the charger to help optimize charging space. This could be key for other corporate parking facilities with premium real estate.
- Uptime reliability: BTC POWER chargers are rated at 96% uptime reliability.
- Fully tested and sealed: Ensures reliable performance and durability.
- Installation flexibility: Available in pedestal and wall mount styles for open parking lot facilities or a multi-deck parking garage.
- NEMA 3R housing: Withstands a spectrum of environmental conditions to supply protection against wet weather from rain to snow and ice or wind-blown dust.
As a few points that merit further examination, the California Type Evaluation Program (CTEP) certification was created to address the need for certification and regulation in a rapidly growing electric vehicle charging industry. This certification is designed to help prevent fraudulent practices or the sale of faulty devices by attempting to provide or ensure customers receive a uniform charging experience. A company receiving this certification helps assure customers of its transparent manufacturing process, system reliability and safety.
In addition, the NEMA 3R housing also helps solidify the charging unit’s reputation for robust construction, capable of withstanding the extreme weather conditions that can impact the northeastern United States. This resilience makes the BTC L2 dual port charger an ideal choice for corporations located anywhere in North America, where there is no “normal” to describe the weather.
The charger’s adaptability, resilience and installation flexibility for wall-mounted or pedestal options address corporations’ unique parking challenges in densely populated areas, where space optimization is essential for infrastructure upgrades.
As this company and other like-minded corporations strive to meet sustainability goals while accommodating electric vehicle users among employees, vendors and visitors, BTC POWER’s charger emerges as the best, most practical and most robust solution.
Successful installation opens pathways for future collaboration
Additionally, as a significant outcome of long-term collaboration, this North American energy company is considering integrating BTC POWER into its distribution channel and among independent contractors linked to this distribution channel. This strategic move poses the potential to empower thousands of distributors and contractors within its extensive network to install or offer a reliable, domestically manufactured and serviced EV charging station to its customer base.
This global power company took the initiative to install an EV charging infrastructure at its North American headquarters, thereby furthering the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2030. Its partnership with BTC POWER helped position the company to impact its employees, visitors, and the broader community positively. As the adoption of EVs continues to grow for fleets and among individuals, this commitment helps illustrate how similar measures taken by other corporations can supply leadership within the business community and in local areas to help transition to a sustainable transportation future.