Electric vehicle charging station installer required.

What is the process for obtaining charging stations for electric vehicles? 

There are several phases of the EV charging station project

1. Initial space assessment
2. Planning, design and engineering
3. Choice of equipment for the charging station
4. Selecting an installer/contractor
5. Licensing and approval of utilities
6. Installation
7. Operational location
8. Applying discounts
9. Business training

Each of these steps involves different organizations such as installers/contractors, charging equipment suppliers, local authorities and owners. In particular, the installer (or contractor) will only perform steps 4-5.

For a complete wrench project management service, you'll want to work with an electric vehicle charging consultant. Electric vehicle charging consultants manage the entire process from start to finish, which is beyond the normal work of an installer. In other words, EV charging consultants not only coordinate the installation, but also provide a range of other services, such as applying for rebates and conducting initial site assessments. 

In order for an installation to meet your expectations, let's discuss six key considerations when hiring an electric vehicle charging installation specialist.

1. Installation experience

As with almost every other area of construction, it is especially recommended to work with experienced EV charger installers. Anyone who has done this work again at least once knows some lessons from the previous work. They can share this knowledge so that your installation runs smoothly.

Think back to the first time you did a job, like filling out a tax return or buying a car. There was a lot of new information in the beginning. It may take a long time to collect all this new information. It will most likely take you much longer than usual to complete it, and you may make a few mistakes along the way; even the second time, the execution time and the number of errors were probably halved.

As they say, experience is critical.

2. Knowledge of electric vehicles

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, knowing the ins and outs of the electric vehicle industry is essential to a successful outcome. Installing charging stations is more than a few pieces of equipment screwed into the ground. The focus is on electric vehicles.

There are dozens of manufacturers of electric vehicle equipment (EVSE or chargers or charging stations). Each charger has its own features and functions. You will need an EV expert to help you figure out which product is best for your needs. In addition, each site is completely different. A charging station may be suitable for seat A, but be a completely different charger for seat B.

To further emphasize this point, it can be said that it is like hiring a concrete contractor to install a pool in front of you. Of course, there are several types of coatings, but a pool is more than just a concrete pool. There are also pumps, filters and cleaners. The specific contractor must make certain assumptions in order to complete the project. After all, this is a risk for the client, and it can have negative consequences.

Therefore, it is not only advisable to work with an electric vehicle charging installer, but it is also worth cooperating with an electric vehicle charging consultant.

We manage the entire process, including initial assessment, engineering and design, ADA review, licensing, utility approval, installation, rebates, and user education. We do not limit ourselves to a simple installation of a charging station, but offer complete solutions that guarantee complete satisfaction. This ultimately saves time and money.

3. Planning

Design is often overlooked. Burnt charging stations can lead to reduced usage and vandalism. Both have a negative impact on the operating costs of the charger. It is highly recommended that design be a key topic of discussion when hiring an EV charging station.

Some installers may simply place the charging station in the most convenient location. This may be the cheapest solution as it is the shortest route to the switchboard, but may not be the best location overall.In some cases, it may be desirable to place the charger in a specific parking space to provide more light to prevent vandalism, line of sight to attract EV drivers, or to comply with ADA requirements.

In addition, good planning includes provision for future installations. While you may only plan to install a few chargers today, it is likely that you will install many more in the future. Good design provides extra capacity for these future chargers. Planning ahead and designing your system for the future can save you a significant amount of money.

If you don't plan for future needs and need more chargers, you'll end up paying more money to dig up walkways and parking spaces, upgrade electrical panels, dig trenches, and lay additional piping.

A good EV charging station installer (and especially an EV charging consultant) can help ensure that charging stations are placed in the best and most suitable locations.

4. Quality control

Another overlooked factor to consider when hiring an electric vehicle charging station installer is quality control. Acquiring charging stations during construction can be tricky. Depending on your location, walkways, parking areas, landscaping, drywall and drywall may need to be removed and replaced. It takes a specialist to assemble everything neatly.

Unfortunately, some contractors are not interested in the end product satisfying the customer. This attention to detail is critical as contractors don't want to leave the site in a worse condition than it was when work started.

It is very important to hire an EV charging station installer who is committed to delivering an end product that the customer will be happy with. Here are some ways to determine if an installer is right for the job

• Do they communicate clearly and in a timely manner?
• Do they provide a detailed installation schedule?
• Do they define what they need from you to get the job done?
• Do they have good, credible reviews online?
• Do they have well-defined contacts (eg inspectors, project leaders)?
• Do they contact you regularly during installation?
• 4. Do they provide a quality guarantee to fix defects after installation?

5. Education and training on electric vehicles

If you build it, will they come? Perhaps.

However, you will have to train the staff/residents/people who will operate and use the charging stations. Many EV drivers today are familiar with how to access and use charging stations, as they have done so many times in the past. On the other hand, drivers of non-electric and future electric vehicles may not be aware of how these devices work.

It is very important that everyone is on the same wavelength. Otherwise, the charging stations will not be used to the maximum extent. This may result in lower earnings than expected. This is clearly not an ideal situation.

In particular, training the site manager on how to manage the charging network is probably the most important to the success of a charging station. Site managers need to know how to connect to the web portal, how to set up a pricing schedule, how to set up access control, and so on. If the site manager does not know how to do this, the station may be shut down.

Both EV charging station installers and network service providers can provide training on this, but this is not always the case. However, electric vehicle charging consultants can provide both initial and ongoing training, depending on your needs. If an installer of electric vehicle charging stations includes this in their application, then this is very good news! Otherwise, you can contact an electric vehicle charging consultant to make sure the station is properly adjusted.

6. Discount apps

Each of these programs has its own rules and requirements. Going through all the programs to determine if they apply to a particular project is a long and tedious task.

Typically, the installer of an electric vehicle charging station is not involved in the search for and implementation of these incentives. Therefore, you, the site owner, must do this work. Those who want to save time and get as many discounts as possible are advised to work with an electric vehicle charging consultant. Like many other professions, EV charging consultants go beyond the typical EV charging station installer or contractor.

Final Thoughts 

As you can see, there are many important considerations when hiring an electric vehicle charging installer. Ultimately, choosing a subcontractor may result in the finished product not meeting your or your client's expectations.