For a small workplace, yes: one hardwired 48 A Level 2 charger is normally enough to keep a handful of staff cars topped up, because work cars sit parked for hours. The decision that matters at a workplace is not power — it is hardwiring. A permanent unit removes the receptacle, the unplugging and the borrowing that plug-in equipment invites in a shared car park.
Key Takeaways
- One 48 A Level 2 unit covers a small workplace’s staff cars, because parked hours do the work.
- Hardwired is the workplace form: no receptacle to wear, nothing portable to borrow or lose, full output set once by the electrician.
- Check the supply — at 208 V the same unit delivers about 10 kW, still ample for all-day parking.
- Step up to a networked dual-connector station when the problem becomes booking, visitors or per-driver records, not energy.
Enough Power Is the Easy Part
The U.S. DOT puts Level 2 charging at 7–19 kW, adding 10–20 miles of range per hour. A staff car parked for a full shift needs a top-up, not a fill, so one 48 A unit — up to about 11.5 kW — covers several cars in turns:
| Workday slot | Who charges | What they take |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | The longest commute | The day’s biggest top-up, done by lunch |
| Afternoon | A second staff car | A shorter session; parked hours do the rest |
| Overnight | A company car, if you run one | A full charge, ready for the morning |
That is the whole sizing story at this scale. The wider programme questions — policy, rollout, payment — are covered in our guide to planning a workplace EV charging program, and the hardware choice in our guide to the best EV charger for a small business. What neither settles is the form of the installation, where workplaces differ from homes.
Why Hardwired Suits a Shared Car Park
- No receptacle to wear or switch off. A plug-in unit depends on an outlet doing continuous duty under daily use. Hardwired, the connection is inside the installation, made once by the electrician.
- Nothing walks away. A portable charger in a staff car park can be unplugged, borrowed to a home garage, or go missing. A hardwired wallbox is part of the premises.
- Full output, set once. The EV-ACT5006T runs at up to 48 A hardwired, on a 60 A breaker — charging is a continuous load, so the breaker is 125% of the charger’s current, set once by the electrician.
- It reads as a fixture, because it is one. The unit joins the building’s fixed electrical installation, its certificate filed with the premises’ other electrical paperwork — the form your facilities records and insurer already know how to describe.
One Number to Check: 208 Volts
The EV-ACT5006T is rated for single-phase 208–240 V. Many commercial buildings run at 208 V rather than the 240 V typical of homes, and the arithmetic is simple: 48 A at 208 V is about 10 kW instead of about 11.5 kW. Still squarely in the Level 2 band, and against an eight-hour parked day it changes nothing that matters — but have your electrician confirm the supply before the circuit is designed.
When One Wallbox Stops Being Enough
One hardwired unit stops being enough when the problem stops being energy and becomes administration: a queue that needs booking, visitors who need access, or sessions that must be attributed to a driver. That is the step up to a networked station such as the EV-AC03201T dual-connector station — two connectors sharing up to 43 kW, with OCPP 1.6J and RFID for per-driver records. Until then, a simple unit plus a simple rota is what most small workplaces run. Our commercial EV charging solutions cover the range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why not just fit the plug-in version and save the electrician’s time?
You still need an electrician for the circuit either way. The plug-in version adds a receptacle to a shared car park — a wear point, a switch-off point and an invitation to unplug the unit. At home, with one careful owner, those are small things; at work, multiplied by every driver, they are the usual failure list.
Who pays for the electricity at a small workplace?
Most small sites keep it simple: free as a perk, or a flat contribution. The sums are modest — at the U.S. average commercial price of 14.53 cents per kWh, a 20 kWh top-up costs about $2.91. Whatever you choose, write it down so the arrangement is not left to memory.
Can visitors and customers use the charger too?
While a slot is free, yes. If visitor use becomes regular, that is a step-up trigger: a second bay or a networked unit with access control serves guests without disturbing the staff rota.
Related Reading
- How to Plan a Workplace EV Charging Program
- What Is the Best EV Charger for a Small Business? How to Choose
- How Much Does It Cost to Install a Commercial EV Charging Station?
