Grow Your Commercial Business with EV Charge Points

How to Grow Your Commercial Business with EV Charge Points

Grow Your Commercial Business with EV Charge Points

Electric vehicle sales in Australia breached the 20,000 mark in 2021. If that doesn’t seem like a lot, consider the fact that less than 7,000 electric vehicles were sold in 2020. In short, the electric vehicle revolution is here, and it’s here to stay.

This monumental increase in the sales of electric vehicles also opens up new opportunities for your business. As people increasingly turn to electric vehicles, they will also be looking for charging points when they go grocery shopping or to a mall a restaurant, or for any other purpose. 

You can take advantage of this huge opportunity by providing high-quality electric vehicle charging infrastructure at your business premises. You already have the location, the only thing you need to add is charging infrastructure that will take up negligible space. It will not only help you attract new customers but will also set you up as an environmentally conscious business and that’s something consumers appreciate these days.

What Are EV Charge Points?

As the name implies, EV charge points are dedicated electrical chargers for charging electric vehicles. There are many different types of EV chargers including:

Level 1 — These are capable of delivering 10 to 15 Amps and are typically meant for home use. These are capable of adding 10 to 20 km of range per hour plugged in.

Level 2 — These are capable of delivering up to 22 kW of power. They are typically installed in apartment complexes, shopping centres, hotels and other such places where the EV is going to be parked for a while. These can add around 40 to 100 km of range per hour plugged in.

Level 3 — This is a dedicated DC charger ranging in power from 25 kW to around 350 kW. These are used in commercial premises and are capable of adding around 150 km of range per hour plugged in at the lower end. At the higher end, these are capable of fully charging some vehicles in less than 20 minutes.

How Do EV Charge Points Work?

The operation of EV charge points is extremely simple. Most premises choose to get level 2 chargers as these offer the right balance for premises where the vehicle is expected to stay for a while.

Once the vehicle is plugged in, the onboard EV charger determines the AC charging capacity of the vehicle. Depending on the setup, the customer has the option to prepay or pay after charging is done. You may also choose a free charging option as a marketing tool. 

Grow Your Commercial Business with EV Charge Points

Benefits of Adding Commercial EV Chargers to Your Business

It’s a given that most vehicles will be electric in the coming years. Many businesses are already planning for the future by installing smart charging stations at their premises to set them apart from the competition. Here are the major benefits of adding commercial EV chargers to your business:

  • New revenue stream for your business
  • Enhanced brand visibility
  • Increase your revenue
  • Make more sales
  • Improved customer retention level
  • Attract more customers
  • Enhance customer loyalty

Adding commercial EV charging stations to your business is one of the quickest ways to add a new revenue stream. There is also research to suggest that EV charging stations are more profitable than gas stations. Adding chargers will also help you enhance your brand visibility — both online and offline. 

You will also be able to attract more customers who might not have visited your business if there was no EV charge point. It will also help you in boosting customer loyalty as your business will be seen as future-ready and environmentally conscious which is a huge thing with consumers. Adding commercial chargers to your business will also result in more footfalls and more footfalls generally result in more sales.

In short, there are innumerable tangible as well as intangible benefits of adding EV charging infrastructure to your business. It will boost your business in the short term as well as in the long term.

How to Structure Your EV Charging Station Business

There are different ways to structure an EV charging station business depending on your goals. You can provide the chargers for free to attract EV owners and charge them only for the electricity. There is always the option of billing them for the use of chargers as many people love to have the means to charge their electric vehicle even when they have to pay for it.

There is also the option of making your EV chargers free. This makes for good marketing and will help you in enhancing your brand recognition. It will not only set you up as a business that cares about sustainability and the environment but will also help you attract a clientele that owns multiple vehicles, is in the top-earning bracket and is one of the most preferred customer segments.

Final Thoughts

The electric vehicle business is growing at a fast pace and a majority of the vehicles on the road are going to be electric, in the near future. While a majority of the vehicles are going to be charged at home, they will still need public charging infrastructure and that opens up an attractive business opportunity. By providing commercial EV chargers to your customers, you will not only open up a completely new revenue stream for your business but it will also set your business apart as an environmentally conscious organisation.

Buy Electric Vehicle Chargers at Get Electric

Get Electric is the premier provider of a variety of electric chargers – commercial & residential – at affordable prices. We offer a wide range of products with options for an embedded digital advertising system along with a fast EV charger. Our chargers are designed to withstand extreme environments and are made from industrial-grade components with a minimum service life of more than 15 years.

Please call us today on 1800 GET NOW to learn more about our EV charging and infrastructure solutions or leave an enquiry and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

How Does EV Battery Work

How Does EV Battery Work and How Long Does it Last?

How Does EV Battery Work

Do you wonder what powers an electric car? Most people have a faint idea of the inner workings of an EV but most people are surprised to know that most electric vehicles are powered by the same battery used to power a regular smartphone. The only difference is that an electric vehicle battery pack has thousands of such cells. 

Another common concern people have is regarding battery degradation. Everyone has experienced the degradation in the performance of batteries in their smartphones after a couple of years. Smartphones with replaceable batteries have become a rare commodity and most people are forced to upgrade to the latest model. 

Do you wonder if the same is going to happen with an electric vehicle? Fortunately, things work differently with electric car batteries. This blog post will explore the most common questions people have concerning electric battery packs, charge cycles, battery lifespan and all the related things.

What Is an EV Battery?

Most electric vehicles on the road are powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. This is a rechargeable battery that is primarily made of a combination of lithium ions, nickel, cobalt and some other rare earth metals.

An EV battery needs to be light yet have a high energy density. This helps in packing more batteries into the small space. Big EV manufacturers such as Tesla use the common 18650 battery which is also used for smartphones. There are different types of lithium-ion batteries including:

  • NCM – Stands for nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
  • LFP – Stands for lithium, iron, and phosphate.
  • NCA – Stands for nickel, cobalt, and aluminium.

How Do EV Batteries Work?

There are four main parts of a lithium-ion or an electric vehicle battery. These include:

  • Cathode
  • Anode
  • Electrolyte
  • Separator

Cathode and anode store lithium ions. The liquid electrolyte is responsible for carrying lithium ions between the cathode and anode. The role of the separator is to physically keep the anode and cathode separate. This allows only ions to pass through.

When you press the accelerator in your car, the battery starts discharging. In this process, lithium ions move from the negative electrode or the anode to the positive electrode or the cathode through the electrolyte. 

This process produces energy in the form of electricity which is supplied to the motor for powering the electric vehicle. During the charging process, this process happens in reverse.

Electric Vehicle Batteries Capacity

The battery capacity of an electric vehicle is measured in terms of kilowatt-hours. A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy. Modern electric cars are available in wide-ranging battery capacities. For instance, there are cars that have a battery pack with a capacity of just over 17 kWh whereas you also have the Tesla Model S and Model X which have a battery pack with a capacity of over 100 kWh.

Higher capacity simply means more range. Manufacturers of electric vehicles are constantly innovating and trying to increase the range of their electric vehicles. 

What makes lithium-ion perfect for electric vehicle batteries is limited degradation in its recharge capacity after thousands of car cycles. There are Teslas out there that still retain more than 90% of the original charging capacity after being driven for more than 350,000 km.

Most modern manufacturers offer extended warranty for their batteries. In most cases, the warranty covers the battery up to 100,000 km or 8 years. The warranty suggests that the battery will retain at least 80% of its original charging capacity after being driven for 8 years or 100,000 km.

How Does EV Battery Work

How Long Does an Electric Car Last?

An electric car is surprisingly lean. There are electric cars out there that have no more than a total of 20 moving components whereas your traditional cars have over 200 moving components. 

At the end of the day, the electric car will last as long as its battery pack. Battery manufacturers have made a lot of progress in enhancing the serviceable life of battery packs. As mentioned earlier, most manufacturers offer a battery warranty covering 8 years or 100,000 km. 

In short, there is no need to worry about battery degradation. Electric cars are going to last longer compared to traditional ICE cars.

Electric Car Batteries Environmental Impact

Everybody is concerned about the environment these days and the disposal of electric car batteries pose yet another challenge. The good news is that the electric car battery pack can be put to other uses once it is not fit for use in an electric vehicle. 

For example, many manufacturers are repurposing batteries that have deteriorated to 70% of the original charging capacity for use as power storage for home use or for powering freezers and refrigerators in the stores and other similar purposes.

How to Dispose of EV Batteries

In Australia, around 3,300 tons of lithium-ion battery waste is generated each year. This number is expected to go up fast with the rise in the number of electric vehicles on the road. 

There are several processes that are being used around the world including pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. Several other processes and logistical solutions are being explored for the safe and efficient disposal/recycling of EV battery waste. 

Currently, you don’t need to worry about recycling as these batteries are expected to last anywhere from 10 to 20 years.

Final Thoughts

Most electric vehicle batteries are lithium-ion which also power your smartphone. The only difference is that a typical EV packs in thousands of these cells along with various other technologies to keep the battery pack efficient. 

EV batteries are much more environmentally friendly compared to fossil fuels as these batteries last anywhere from 10 to 20 years. Most manufacturers offer a generous warranty covering at least 8 years or 100,000 km. In short, EV batteries last a really long time and are good for the environment compared to the options in use today. 

Buy Electric Vehicle Chargers at Get Electric

Get Electric is the premier provider of a variety of electric chargers – commercial & residential – at affordable prices. We offer a wide range of products with options for an embedded digital advertising system along with a fast EV charger. Our chargers are designed to withstand extreme environments and are made from industrial-grade components with a minimum service life of more than 15 years.

Please call us today on 1800 GET NOW to learn more about our EV charging and infrastructure solutions or leave an enquiry and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.