Commercial EV Charging: One Site, Several Kinds of Driver.
Mixed-use commercial properties serve tenants, their staff, visitors and delivery fleets from the same car park. Getting it right means planning for each group and billing them separately.
Plan for Every Group on Site.
| Group | Typical stay | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant staff | Workday | 7–11 kW AC in tenant areas with card access |
| Visitors and customers | 30 min–2 h | 11–22 kW AC near entrances, a compact DC charger for short stays |
| Delivery and service vehicles | Short, frequent stops | Keep loading bays free of chargers; a DC charger for vans that return during the day |
| Tenant fleets | Overnight | AC in a dedicated fleet area |
| Residents in mixed-use buildings | Overnight | 7 kW AC on assigned bays |
How Much Range Do Visitors Add While Parked?
Commercial sites serve visitors who stay anywhere from 30 minutes to a full workday. Match charging power to how long cars stay.
| Charging Power | 30-Minute Stop | 1-Hour Visit | 2-Hour Visit | Good Fit For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.4 kW ACSingle-phase wallbox | ≈ 21 km / 13 mi | ≈ 41 km / 25 mi | ≈ 82 km / 51 mi | Tenant and staff parking |
| 11 kW ACThree-phase, or 11.5 kW Level 2 in North America | ≈ 31 km / 19 mi | ≈ 61 km / 38 mi | ≈ 122 km / 76 mi | General visitor bays |
| 22 kW ACThree-phase wallbox | ≈ 61 km / 38 mi* | ≈ 122 km / 76 mi* | ≈ 244 km / 152 mi* | Bays for cars with 22 kW onboard chargers |
| 22 kW DCCompact DC | ≈ 61 km / 38 mi | ≈ 122 km / 76 mi | ≈ 244 km / 152 mi | High-turnover public bays |
Estimates assume average consumption of 18 kWh per 100 km (about 3.5 miles per kWh), and do not include charging losses; real results vary with the vehicle, temperature and battery level. *AC charging speed is capped by the vehicle's onboard charger. Many EVs accept 11 kW AC at most, so a 22 kW AC charger gives those cars 11 kW. DC charging bypasses the onboard charger.
Questions to Settle Before You Order.
Size the supply for the whole site
Add up what every group will need over the next few years, not just the first phase, before you choose charger numbers.
Landlord or tenant chargers?
Decide who owns, pays for and maintains chargers in shared and tenant areas, and write it into the lease.
Bill each tenant separately
A charging platform can split sessions and costs by tenant, so nobody pays for someone else’s electricity.
Keep loading areas clear
Chargers in loading bays get blocked or damaged. Put them where cars park, not where trucks unload.
Phase the rollout
Equip the busiest car park first, then expand as usage data and tenant demand justify it.
Duct for the next phase
Ducting and spare cable routes laid in phase one keep later phases cheap.
Turn Charging Into a Service.
Public tariff
Visitors pay per kWh or per session. Check local rules on payment methods and price display for public chargers.
Tenant tariff
Tenants and their staff get their own prices and RFID cards, billed monthly.
Idle fees
A fee after charging ends keeps busy visitor bays available.
Reporting by tenant
Monthly reports by tenant and charger make recharging costs to tenants simple.
OCPP: Protocol Support vs. Certification.
OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) is the language a charger uses to talk to a management backend. It is not a safety certificate like CE or UL. "Supports OCPP" and "OCPP certified" are two different claims, and operators should know which one they are being offered.
| OCPP support (protocol) | OCPP certification | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The charger firmware implements an OCPP version, such as 1.6J or 2.0.1, so it can connect to a backend. | The charger has passed conformance testing under the Open Charge Alliance certification program. |
| Who confirms it | The manufacturer states it. | The Open Charge Alliance tests it, and certified products can be checked on its website. |
| Required? | Required in practice if you run a networked site with remote monitoring or billing. | Not legally required. Some tenders and large operators ask for it. |
| Who chooses the backend | The operator. The charger supplies the protocol; the operator picks the platform it connects to, whether that is its existing network, a third-party platform or the manufacturer's own cloud. | |
What to ask any charger supplier
- Which exact models support OCPP, and which version: 1.6J or 2.0.1?
- Is that a self-declaration, or Open Charge Alliance certified?
- Has the charger been tested against the backend you plan to use?
- Which functions work over OCPP: remote start and stop, smart charging profiles, firmware updates, diagnostics?
- Separately: which safety certificates (CE, UL and others) cover each model in your market?
How EVDANCE answers
- We state the OCPP version for each model in writing, and say whether it is a self-declaration or a certification.
- Your chargers connect to the backend you choose. Our own cloud platform is an option, not a requirement.
- For a pilot, we can supply sample units so your team can test them against your platform before rollout.
- Safety certificates are listed per model in every quote, separately from OCPP.
Chargers That Fit Commercial Sites.
Specifications from our current product catalogue. Certificates are listed per model in every quote.
EV-ACT1602PE wallbox
- 11 kW, 16 A, 380–400 V three-phase
- Tethered Type 2 cable, CEE 5-pin plug
- RFID card, app and plug-and-charge start
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 4G optional
Best for tenant staff areas with a three-phase supply.
EV-ACT3204PE wallbox
- 22 kW, 32 A, 380–400 V three-phase
- Tethered Type 2 cable, CEE 5-pin plug
- RFID card, app and plug-and-charge start
- IP66
Best for visitor bays near entrances.
EV-ACT3208PE socket wallbox
- Up to 22 kW, 6–32 A, three-phase
- Type 2 socket: drivers use their own cable
- Over-current, over-temperature and control-pilot fault protection
- IP56
Best for tenant bays where drivers bring their own cable.
EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC charger
- 22 kW DC output, single tethered connector
- 380–415 V three-phase input
- OCPP 1.6J, RFID card and app start
- IP54, 5 m cable, floor-standing
Best for short visitor stays and vans that return during the day.
EV-ACT4001U / EV-ACT4001T
- Up to 40 A, 9.6 kW, 208–240 V
- J1772 (U) or NACS (T), 25 ft cable
- NEMA 14-50 plug, needs a 50 A breaker
- NEMA 4 / IP66, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Best for most commercial sites in the US and Canada.
EV-ACT5002U / EV-ACT5002T
- 50 A, 12 kW, 240 V
- J1772 (U) or NACS (T), 25 ft cable
- Hardwired installation
- App and plug-and-charge start
Best for North American visitor bays that need the fastest Level 2 rate.
Final circuit sizing and permits must follow your local electrical code and be confirmed by a licensed electrician.
Rules to Check Before You Buy.
Chargers that are open to the public face extra rules on safety listings, connectors and payment. Use this checklist for your region.
United States & Canada
- Safety listing from a recognized testing lab (UL, ETL or CSA mark) for the exact model
- Installation to NEC Article 625 in the US or the Canadian Electrical Code
- Connectors: SAE J1772 or NACS (SAE J3400) for AC; CCS1 or NACS for DC
- Check local accessibility rules for public charging bays
European Union
- CE marking, with chargers built to IEC 61851
- Connectors: Type 2 for AC, CCS2 for DC
- Under AFIR, publicly accessible chargers must allow ad-hoc payment: below 50 kW by card reader, contactless device or secure QR payment; 50 kW and above by card reader or contactless device
- Billing per kWh may require calibration-law-compliant metering in some countries, such as Germany
United Kingdom
- UKCA or CE marking
- Connectors: Type 2 for AC, CCS2 for DC
- Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, new public charge points of 8 kW and above must accept contactless payment
- Public charging prices must be shown clearly in pence per kWh
Which Revenue Model Fits Your Site?
The same hardware can support very different business models. Choose based on who parks at your site.
Public Pay-per-Use
Best for: Sites with steady public traffic.
How it works: Drivers pay per kWh, with an idle fee once charging ends, through the app or a supported payment method.
Watch out for: Payment, pricing and data rules for public chargers in your market.
Tenant & Member Access
Best for: Office parks and multi-tenant buildings.
How it works: Each tenant or member group gets its own access list, and monthly usage reports support re-billing.
Watch out for: Fair power sharing between tenants during busy hours.
Partner-Operated
Best for: Owners who want charging without running it.
How it works: A charge point operator of your choice runs pricing, payments and driver support over OCPP, under an agreement with you.
Watch out for: Contract length, revenue split and who owns the hardware.
Send Us These 6 Details for a Tailored Plan.
This helps our engineers recommend the right configuration for your site faster.
Commercial EV Charging — Frequently Asked Questions.
Who should own the chargers, the landlord or the tenants?
Either can work. Landlord-owned chargers in shared areas are simpler to manage; tenant-owned chargers suit tenants with their own fleets. Whatever you choose, write ownership, maintenance and billing into the lease.
How do we bill different tenants?
Use a charging platform that groups sessions by tenant. Each tenant gets its own RFID cards and tariff, and you receive monthly reports to recharge costs.
Should commercial sites install AC or DC chargers?
Mostly AC for staff and longer visits, plus a compact DC charger for short visitor stays and vehicles that return during the day.
Can EV charging earn revenue for the property?
It can, through public per-kWh tariffs and idle fees. Revenue depends on visitor numbers and electricity prices, so start small and use session data before expanding.
How do we avoid an expensive supply upgrade?
Load management lets chargers share the available power and slow down when building demand is high. Send us your supply rating and we will model it.
Do commercial chargers need OCPP?
For multi-tenant billing and remote monitoring, yes in practice. See the OCPP section above for the difference between protocol support and certification.
Deploy Smart Commercial Charging For Your Complex.
Send us your site plan, tenant mix and supply rating. We will suggest where chargers should go, how to phase the rollout and how to bill each group.