Would you be more likely to buy an electric vehicle if you knew you could charge it at work? Think about it. At our November event, we explored the benefits of workplace charging, which positively impacts not only employees and businesses but the entire industry as well. 

Forth was one of the lead ambassadors of the U.S. Department of Energy's four-year Workplace Charging Challenge, which ended in 2017. Our Deputy Director Zach Henkin discussed the takeaways from our experience working with these organizations as a workplace charging ambassador: 

• Employers who install workplace charging tend to retain and attract ideal employees, contribute to a cleaner environment and demonstrate their leadership in sustainability.
• Workplace charging helps to reduce range anxiety, supports EV drivers who may not have access to charging at home, and offers a huge inventive to drivers.
• The greatest challenges to workplace charging adoption are station installation and management costs, implementing consistent policies within the organization and making charging available to those who actually need and want it.

Zach's presentation can be viewed here:

Stephanie Janczak, Manager of Sustainability & Vehicle Environmental Matters at Ford discussed Ford's workplace charging network. It was established in 2014 and today comprises of 200 stations in 40 locations in Canada and the U.S. The network was set up to encourage electric vehicle adoption by Ford's employees and to create EV ambassadors. Based on the results of a survey given in April 2017 to Ford's EV drivers, the network has been successful. Key findings include:

• The proximity to the office and no-fee chargers onsite were very important to drivers.
• Workplace charging had a huge impact on influencing the initial purchase decision and a driver's willingness and ability to recommend EVs.
• The number of Ford employees using an electric vehicle increased exponentially since the establishment of the company's network of chargers.

Stephanie's presentation can be viewed here: