FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
PERRAN MOON, INTERIM CEO OF CHARGE POINT OPERATOR BELIEV
With more than one million plug-in vehicles on UK roads, and numbers rapidly rising, facilities managers face increasing demand for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure from customers, visitors, and staff. While sustainability quotas and ESG policies have historically driven EV infrastructure investment for many businesses, today there is a greater opportunity to leverage EV charging as a route to enhancing customer loyalty, improving employee satisfaction, and realising additional revenues and greater asset value in parking spaces.
Facilities managers need a multi-faceted approach to their EV infrastructure strategy to accommodate different needs. What is consistent, however, is the need for accessible, high quality and convenient charging solutions to realise a return on investment. It is with these deliverables in mind that progressive charge point operators (CPOs) work with businesses from the outset and throughout the life of a project to assess stakeholder charging needs and advise on current and future solutions.
DESIGNING TAILORED SOLUTIONS
Delivering the correct EV charging infrastructure for staff who have invested in EVs, and customers needing accessible parking, is not an easy task. It is also one of the more recent challenges for a facilities manager to solve, made more complicated by rising labour costs and extended construction and installation timescales. There is also the challenge of determining where a charging point should be installed, what type of technology/speed of charging is required, and how they should be funded.
This is where CPOs can show their value. CPOs exist to provide solutions by means of consultation, design and planning. They work closely with facilities managers to identify profitable, sustainable and secure locations and opportunities to increase business footfall and dwell time for customers while their services are in use.
By placing stakeholder need at the forefront of infrastructure planning, strategy and design, facilities managers benefit from a made-to-measure, end-to-end solution that does not require extensive resource or cause them unnecessary hassle. Whether this comes down to planning the number of EV charging parking spaces needed or the type of charging socket or speed, each solution is tailored towards providing an optimised charging experience for customer and staff use, meeting EV demand in a reliable and effective way.
FUNDING INNOVATION
Widescale implementation of EV infrastructure is hindered by the perceived cost of hosting, commissioning and operating the equipment installed. The right CPO can take concerns over investment out of the equation, providing a privately-funded solution to businesses to promote and support the adoption of EVs. By delivering a competitive host remuneration package, car park revenues can be enhanced, and regular use encouraged by charge points that are reliable and ‘always-on’, with a consistent 99 per cent uptime. Businesses are able to meet ESG targets and environmental obligations whilst also fulfilling increasing demand for EV charging convenience.
MAINTAINING A RESPONSIBLE OPERATION
It is in the best interest of facilities managers and CPOs to provide and maintain responsible operation to deliver a reliable charge point solution. This is why maintenance is a crucial, if sometimes overlooked, element of providing reliable EV charging infrastructure. Charge point availability and uptime are directly linked to profitability, but they are also vital in delivering customer confidence.
CPOs should be taking responsibility for any equipment it has installed, ensuring that charging solutions are always-on, and future-proofed for when upgrades and extensions are required. Annual servicing and a 24-hour emergency response system should come as part of a holistic care package, enhanced by remote diagnostics being communicated to engineers to minimise downtime and protect revenues.
The EV genie is out of the box. As more people begin to own EVs, and as we move closer to the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, EV infrastructure will no longer be a ‘nice to have’, but rather an essential part of business success.
