Four Steps to At-Home EV Charger Installation

According to Automotive News, sales of battery-electric vehicles in Q1 of this year were up 60% over the same period in 2021. And what’s the one thing every one of those EVs needed in place before hitting the road? An electric vehicle charging solution!

If you are considering at-home charging for your fleet drivers, or if you just want to learn more about this evolving technology, here is an overview of the four-step process, from initial decision to installation.

1. Consultation

At the same time you begin to narrow down which kinds of electric vehicles you will order, you should also begin envisioning your ideal charging solution (at-home, depot, public?). If you decide your drivers will charge their fleet EVs at home, you should cover the following decision points:

• Identifying which of the EVs you are introducing to your fleet are best suited for at-home charging
• Narrowing that down to which drivers of those vehicles are capable of installing at-home charging equipment
• Choosing the kind of charging technology you want to implement
• Coordinating installation with a trusted vendor

2. Driver Survey

The best vehicle types for at-home charging are cars, SUVs, and light-duty vans and pickups.

To identify which of your drivers are capable of at-home charging, you need to learn more about the setup of their homes. For example:

1. Does the driver rent or own their home?

Renters will need to check with the owners regarding charger installation plans.

1. Does the driver have a designated space to park their EV within close proximity to the electric panel?

If not, additional contractor work may be required.

3. Product Selection

The next step is to determine the best charging solution supplier. For example, if you prefer “smart chargers” (ones that will provide data on usage, costs, etc.) rather than standard plug-in connections, you might choose a company like WallBox. That way, you’ll be able to integrate vehicle-charging data with the rest of your fleet data, including charge session duration, total energy delivered to the vehicle, and energy costs.

Here are a few of the companies that Holman partners with to support fleets with at-home charger installation:

• WallBox is a global company dedicated to changing the way the electric vehicle industry uses energy. Their smart charging systems combine innovative technology with outstanding design and manage communication between the vehicle, the grid, the facility, and the charger. Holman can integrate charging session data from WallBox into our Holman Insights system.
• ChargePoint provides smart charging hardware, cloud services, and support for fleets and drivers. Since 2007, ChargePoint has delivered more than 123 million charging sessions to hundreds of thousands of chargers.
• Enel X is another global company with roots in the energy industry and an open strategy for sustainability, digitalization, and innovation. Through the work of 68,000 employees, Enel X has deployed more than 230,000 chargers in 31 countries – more than half of those in North America.
  • Read the customer story about how the Holman-Enel X team installed chargers for the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) fleet.
• Ford Pro^TM offers streamlined fleet electrification plans for fleets using Ford vehicles. They will provide support throughout the planning, design, installation, and operation of at-home charging systems.

4. At-home Installation

Depending on the driver’s home configuration, the average cost for Qmerit to install a home charger runs between $1,500 and $2,500.

Qmerit is a Holman partner that coordinates installations across North America through a network of electrical contractors who are certified installation experts. From the initial home assessment to final installation of the EV charger, Qmerit and Holman aim to create a seamless experience for you and your EV drivers.

For each driver you have determined is a good fit for at-home charger installation, the supplier will conduct a virtual assessment of their home and provide the charging system install price.

Depending on the EV charger selected, we will aggregate the data through the Holman Insights system so you have full visibility of the data and can calculate and predict your vehicle operating costs. This also enables you to track and reimburse drivers for at-home energy use.

Next Up: Depot Charging

Please watch for the next blog in this series: a closer look at depot charging.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for more information on electric vehicles, charging, and other fleet sustainability topics, you’ll find a variety of options in our resource library, and you can subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Morning Brake.

If you’d like to start a conversation with us about EV fleet services, please contact us to request a consultation.