Everyone gets a turn when the site picks one turn system and writes it down: a booking rota, a time cap with a move-when-done rule, a queue, or staff-managed rotation. Unmanaged chargers default to first-come, all-day — the one arrangement that reliably frustrates the drivers who arrive second. Which system fits depends on how many drivers share how many bays.
Key Takeaways
- Pick one turn system — booking, cap, queue, rotation or priority — and write it down.
- Fairness lives in the policy fields: eligibility, no-shows, charge-to-need, exceptions.
- Repeat blocking is a facilities matter, settled with session records.
- Booking and queueing are platform features to confirm, not charger features to assume.
The Five Turn Systems, Compared
| System | How it works | What it needs | Where it strains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking slots | Drivers reserve a bay for a half day or a full day ahead of time | A shared calendar, or a booking feature on the charging platform — confirm yours offers it | No-shows waste prime slots unless the policy releases them |
| Time cap and move rule | Each session is limited — a morning, an afternoon, or a set number of hours — then the car moves | A written cap and a facilities route for repeat blocking | Drivers whose commute genuinely needs a full day feel squeezed |
| Queue or waitlist | Drivers join a list and are called forward as bays free up | A visible list and a notification habit — a team channel can be enough | Someone has to move their car mid-task when the call comes |
| Attendant rotation | Facilities staff or valets move cars through the chargers during the day | Key custody, a move order, and session records per car | Only works where a staff role already exists to move cars |
| Priority rules | Certain drivers or days go first — for example, staff with no home charging | The priority written openly, so it reads as policy, not favouritism | Priorities multiply until everyone is an exception |
Most sites end up with a blend: a cap as the base rule, a booking channel for busy days, and a stated priority for the drivers who have no alternative. The blend still counts as one system if it is written in one place.
The Policy Fields That Make Any System Fair
- Who is eligible. Staff only, or contractors and visitors too — eligibility decides how much demand the system has to absorb.
- The booking window and the no-show rule. How far ahead a slot can be taken, and when an unclaimed slot returns to the pool.
- Charge to need. A stated expectation that drivers take the energy their commute needs, not a full battery by default — Level 2 adds 10–20 miles of range per hour on U.S. DOT figures, so a half-day session covers most commutes.
- The repeat-blocking route. Problems go to facilities or HR with session records in hand, not to windshield notes.
- Exceptions and review. A named person who can grant an exception, and a termly review where the session data decides whether the system still fits.
Our workplace EV charging program guide shows where these fields sit inside the wider program — pricing, rollout and access — and our piece on RFID and user management for shared chargers explains how access control supports them.
Hardware That Supports the System
Any turn system leans on two hardware abilities: knowing who is charging, and limiting who can start. The EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox (tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app, IP66, CE) gives a single bay per-driver access control. At larger scale, the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors sharing up to 43 kW, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54) records every session per user — the evidence a fair review runs on. Booking and queueing live in the platform layer, so confirm those features on the platform you choose rather than assuming the charger provides them. EVDANCE’s commercial charging solutions cover the hardware range.
Frequently Asked Questions
One driver takes the charger all day, every day. What actually works?
Treat it as a policy problem, not a personal one: a session cap with a move rule, applied to everyone, plus a facilities conversation backed by the session records. Singling the driver out without a written rule rarely ends the behaviour.
Do we need booking software to run a rota?
Not at small scale. A shared calendar or team channel handles a handful of bays; platform booking features earn their keep when bays and drivers multiply. Either way, the rules — window, no-shows, priorities — are yours to write.
Should drivers with no home charging get priority?
Many sites write exactly that priority into the policy, openly. It directs the scarcest resource to the drivers with no alternative, and because it is written down, it reads as a rule rather than a favour.
Related Reading
- How to Plan a Workplace EV Charging Program
- RFID and User Management for Shared EV Chargers
- What Is an RFID Card for EV Charging?
- How Do Commercial EV Charging Stations Work?
