A business buys EV chargers well by making five decisions in order: who the charging is for, how many ports and how much power, what the supply can carry, which hardware the evidence supports, and how it will be installed and run.
Key Takeaways
- Buy in sequence: use case, count and power, site and supply, hardware evidence, install and running.
- The first three decisions come from your own site’s evidence.
- Hardware is judged on documents: exact-model certification, stated access features, warranty in writing.
- Compare installed cost from itemised quotes, and confirm any funding before purchasing.
The Buying Sequence, Step by Step
| Step | The decision | Evidence to get | The mistake it prevents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Use case | Staff, customers, fleet — or a mix, in which zones | Who parks, for how long, on your busiest days | Customer hardware in a staff car park, or the reverse |
| 2. Count and power | How many ports, at what charging speed | Your own count of EVs and dwell times, not a ratio | Idle ports, or queues in month one |
| 3. Site and supply | Where units go, and what the supply can carry | A licensed electrician’s written capacity confirmation | Hardware ordered before the panel is checked |
| 4. Hardware | Which models, on what documentary evidence | Certification for the exact model, warranty in writing | A brochure spec the delivered unit’s file cannot support |
| 5. Install and run | Who installs, who maintains, what it costs to run | Itemised quotes; a named route for faults and claims | A lump-sum price and no owner for the first failure |
Steps One to Three: Your Site Answers These
The first three decisions belong to the business, not the seller. Use case comes first: staff charging is a benefit you control, customer charging a service you present, fleet charging an operation with schedules. Count and power follow from dwell: U.S. DOT figures put Level 2 at 7–19 kW (about 10–20 miles of range per hour) and DC fast charging at 50–350 kW, so cars parked for hours are served by Level 2, and DC money is spent only where stops are short. Supply is the hard limit: charging is a continuous load, circuits sized at 125% of charger current under the NEC — your electrician’s survey gives your building’s number.
Step Four: Hardware Is an Evidence Check
Judge each model on documents, not descriptions:
- Certification for the exact model. Ask for the certificate or listing naming the model and variant you are buying — an NRTL listing in the U.S., the CE file in Europe.
- Access and recording, as stated. Sessions attributed to drivers must be in the listing — RFID and a stated protocol such as OCPP are checkable claims; a screen is a display, not a payment system.
- Warranty in writing. The term, what it covers, who you claim from. EVDANCE’s standard is 3 years; get the equivalent sentence in any quote.
- The running-cost picture. Electricity (U.S. commercial average 14.53 cents per kWh, EIA) is the small line; installation is the large one — compare installed cost, not unit price.
Step Five: Buy the Installation Like a Project
Ask for itemised quotes separating hardware, electrical work, groundworks and permits; the factors behind each line are in our guide to what affects installation cost, and the full picture in the commercial installation cost guide. Before signing, settle who maintains the units and confirm any grant in writing — funding is checked before purchase, never assumed after.
Hardware for Business Sites
For multi-bay sites, the EVDANCE EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station serves two bays from one floor-standing unit: two Type 2 connectors sharing up to 43 kW (22 kW per connector), OCPP 1.6J, RFID access, IP54. For single controlled bays, the EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox (three-phase Type 2, cable or socket, RFID and app, IP66, CE) is the fixed-point option. See the commercial EV charging range, or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should a business start with Level 2 or DC fast charging?
Level 2, wherever cars park for an hour or more. DOT figures put DC fast charging at 50–350 kW against Level 2’s 7–19 kW, and DOE-cited installed costs rise accordingly — about $3,500 plus $2,500 per Level 2 connector, against $38,000–$90,000 plus $20,000–$60,000 for DC fast. DC earns its cost only where dwell is short.
What is the most common buying mistake?
Choosing hardware before the supply is confirmed — a charger the panel cannot feed is a redesign, however good the price looked.
Can the business charge users for the electricity?
A policy and platform question, not a hardware feature: the unit records sessions, while pricing, payment and receipts run through the operator platform arrangement you put in place. Decide it at step one, confirm it in writing — and never assume a charger’s screen takes payments.
Related Reading
- How to Plan a Workplace EV Charging Program
- How Much Do Commercial EV Chargers Cost?
- How Much Does It Cost to Install a Commercial EV Charging Station?
