How Today’s Workplace Caters to the EV Surge
Employee perks are an important component in building a company brand that attracts and retains talent. Remote work. Hybrid schedules. Onsite daycare. Gym memberships. And now, with the increased use of electric vehicles (EVs), savvy organizations are adding EV charging to their dashboard of options when it comes to workplace benefits.
As the popularity and the strong increase of electric vehicles continues to soar, the demand for reliable and accessible workplace EV charging infrastructure is quickly becoming a crucial consideration across business parks.
Wanted: More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
According to figures from Electrify America, the surge in EV adoption is significant: charging sessions increased from 1.4 million in 2021 to a staggering 5.2 million in 2022. This escalation is indicative of a broader trend as EVs are predicted to constitute half of global car sales by 2023, with every vehicle expected to feature a charging plug by 2030.*
In the U.S. alone, figures suggest an eight-fold increase in EV charging infrastructure by 2030, with estimates suggesting the installation of 700,000 Level-2 EV chargers and 70,000 Level-3 EV chargers.**
To accommodate this shift in vehicle type and to satisfy employee demand, businesses need to deploy secure, easy-to-use charging stations across their premises. Many CEOs are quickly recognizing the weight this carries in attracting and retaining a younger, EV-driving workforce.
Perk Up, Plug In
As companies invest in the EV universe, it’s essential to protect all players involved — the business managing the charging stations, power grid operators and, of course, the employees powering up. Security is key, and working with a technology partner that provides proper encryption and user authentication across each electric vehicle station is imperative as more stations around the globe mean more potential access points for hackers.
For businesses that already use HID RFID authentication to grant workplace access to employees, they can leverage the very same access credentials already in place to easily extend coverage to EV charging stations. This carries over secure end-to-end encryption, system evolution conveniences (add, remove and upgrade as credential needs change) and all the value around one user authentication credential that covers employee access to many applications. In fact, using the same RFID authentication credential to access the building and the IT infrastructure for EV charging reduces the cost of fleet management and facilitates instant updates. When an employee leaves the company, access to all facilities for all mobile credentials can be blocked instantaneously from one console.
EV charging stations are not merely a convenience, but a strategic move for companies looking to align with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Progressive employers are using the transition to EVs as an opportunity to expand their sustainability goals, with EV charging infrastructure playing a vital role in achieving these objectives and connecting favorably with eco-conscious employees.
We cover more about EV charging as a workforce benefit in our recently published assets: RFID Authentication for EV Charging Stations.
How focused is your organization on driving in-demand perks to attract and retain employees?
Explore more about HID Access for EV charging stations.