Workplace Charging for Employers

Why Employers Should Care

Workplace charging is not charity. It is a strategic investment with measurable returns. As EV adoption in Canada accelerates — over 10% of new vehicle sales in 2025, trending toward the 2035 ZEV mandate — employees are increasingly choosing workplaces that accommodate their electric vehicles.

This chapter is written for business owners, HR leaders, and facility managers who are evaluating whether to install EV charging at their workplace. The short answer is yes. Here is the long answer.

The Business Case

Employee Attraction and Retention

In a competitive labour market, benefits matter. Workplace EV charging is a visible, daily perk that employees use and appreciate. It signals that the company is forward-thinking and environmentally conscious — values that resonate particularly with younger professionals.

A survey by ChargePoint found that 80% of EV drivers consider workplace charging important when evaluating employers. That number will only grow as EV adoption climbs.

Corporate Sustainability Goals

If your company has ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) commitments — and most publicly traded Canadian companies do — workplace charging directly supports Scope 3 emissions reduction. Employee commuting is a significant portion of many companies' carbon footprints, and enabling EV driving at work is one of the most tangible actions you can take.

Property Value Enhancement

EV charging infrastructure increases the value and attractiveness of commercial properties. For building owners leasing office space, EV-ready parking is becoming a differentiator in lease negotiations.

Revenue Potential

If you do not want to subsidize charging, you do not have to. Network-connected chargers from FLO, ChargePoint, and others allow you to charge employees a fee (typically cost-recovery or slight markup). Some companies make charging available to the public during off-hours for additional revenue.

Level 2 vs DC Fast Charging at Work

For most workplaces, Level 2 is the right answer. Here is why.

Level 2 Charging at Work:

Employees park for 8-10 hours — plenty of time for a full Level 2 charge
Equipment cost: $500-$1,500 per charger
Installation cost: $1,000-$3,000 per charger (depends on distance from panel and conduit routing)
Total per station: $1,500-$4,500
Power draw: 7-10 kW per charger
A typical 10-charger installation costs $15,000-$45,000 total
Monthly electricity cost per charger (assuming 8 hours of use): $15-$30

DC Fast Charging at Work:

Useful for workplaces where employees park for short periods (retail, manufacturing shift changes) or fleet vehicles that need quick turnarounds
Equipment cost: $25,000-$75,000 per charger
Installation cost: $10,000-$30,000 (requires higher power service)
Total per station: $35,000-$105,000
Monthly electricity cost per charger: $200-$500+
Demand charges from the utility can be significant

For a typical office with employees working 8-hour days, Level 2 is overwhelmingly the better investment. The car charges while the person works. DC fast charging makes sense for fleet operations, logistics hubs, or retail locations where turnover is high.

Tax Benefits and Incentives

Canadian employers can take advantage of several financial incentives for workplace charging:

Capital Cost Allowance (CCA)

EV charging equipment qualifies for accelerated CCA under Class 43.1 or 43.2 (clean energy equipment)
This allows faster depreciation, reducing taxable income in the years the equipment is installed
Consult your tax advisor for the specific rates and eligibility criteria

NRCan Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP)

Federal funding for workplace and public charging installations
Covers up to 50% of eligible costs
Application-based — check NRCan's website for current intake periods
Historically oversubscribed, so apply early

Provincial Programs

Some provinces offer additional incentives for commercial charging installations
BC's Go Electric program (when active) includes workplace charging support
Quebec Hydro offers commercial EV charging incentives
Check ThinkEV's incentives page for the latest programs by province

Utility Incentives

Several Canadian utilities offer commercial EV charging programs:
- BC Hydro's workplace charging program
- Toronto Hydro's EV incentives
- Hydro-Quebec's commercial charging support
These often include rate structures designed for EV charging that reduce demand charges

Installation Process

Step 1: Assess Your Electrical Capacity

Hire a licensed electrician to evaluate:

Current panel capacity and available amperage
Distance from the electrical panel to the parking area
Whether conduit already exists or needs to be installed
Whether a panel or service upgrade is required

A 10-charger Level 2 installation draws roughly 70-100 kW. If your building has a 400A service, this is often achievable without an upgrade. If your service is already near capacity, a panel upgrade or load management system may be needed.

Step 2: Choose Your Charging Model

Free to employees: Simplest to administer. Good for smaller installations (2-5 chargers). Treat as an employee benefit. The electricity cost is modest — $15-$30/month per charger.
Cost-recovery: Charge employees a fee that covers electricity and maintenance. Network-connected chargers handle billing automatically.
Revenue-generating: Set pricing above cost to generate a return. More common at retail or public-facing locations.
Mixed access: Free for employees during work hours, public access with fees during evenings and weekends.

Step 3: Select a Network Partner

For anything beyond 2-3 chargers, use a networked solution. Benefits include:

Remote monitoring and diagnostics
Usage reporting for tax and sustainability documentation
Access control (employee badges, RFID cards)
Billing and payment processing
Over-the-air software updates

Major partners for Canadian workplaces:

FLO: Canadian company. Strong support, hardware designed for Canadian conditions. Popular with government and institutional workplaces.
ChargePoint: Largest global network. Excellent fleet management tools. Strong corporate client base.
SWTCH Energy: Canadian company specializing in multi-tenant and workplace installations with load management.

Step 4: Plan for Growth

This is critical. Install more infrastructure than you need today.

The cost of running conduit and upgrading electrical panels is dominated by labour and construction — not the chargers themselves. Running conduit to 20 parking spots costs only marginally more than running it to 10. But retrofitting later costs significantly more because you are paying for construction twice.

My recommendation:

Install chargers for current demand plus 50%
Run conduit and electrical infrastructure for 2-3 times current demand
Future-proof the panel for the day when 50%+ of employees drive EVs

Load Management: The Key to Scaling

Load management technology is what makes large-scale workplace charging feasible without massive electrical upgrades.

How it works:

A central controller monitors total power draw across all chargers
When demand exceeds available capacity, it reduces power to individual chargers (from 7 kW to 3-4 kW, for example)
Since cars are parked for 8+ hours and most only need 3-4 hours of charging, this works perfectly
20 chargers might share the capacity that would otherwise serve 8-10 dedicated circuits

Load management can reduce electrical infrastructure costs by 40-60%. For a 20-charger installation, that can mean $20,000-$40,000 in savings on panel and service upgrades.

ROI Framework

Here is how to build the business case for your CFO.

Costs (10-charger Level 2 installation):

Equipment: $7,500-$15,000
Installation: $10,000-$30,000
Annual electricity: $1,800-$3,600
Annual maintenance: $500-$1,000
5-year total cost: $29,500-$68,000

Benefits:

Employee retention value: Replacing an employee costs 50-200% of their annual salary. If workplace charging retains even one employee who would otherwise leave, the ROI is immediate.
Sustainability reporting: Quantifiable Scope 3 emissions reduction for ESG reporting
Property value: 2-5% increase in commercial property desirability
Revenue (if charging fees applied): $1,200-$3,600/year for 10 chargers at cost-recovery rates
Federal and provincial incentives: 25-50% cost reduction through ZEVIP and CCA

Payback period: 3-5 years for a cost-recovery model. Immediate if you factor in employee retention and property value gains.

Common Employer Objections

"We do not have enough EV drivers to justify the investment." You will. Canada's ZEV mandate requires 100% of new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035. The employees who drive EVs today will be the majority within a decade. Build the infrastructure before demand overwhelms you.

"The electricity costs will be too high." Electricity for 10 Level 2 chargers used 8 hours/day costs roughly $150-$300/month total. Compare that to a single parking spot's annual maintenance cost. It is a rounding error in most commercial budgets.

"What about liability?" CSA-certified chargers installed by licensed electricians carry the same liability profile as any other electrical equipment in your building. Your existing commercial insurance typically covers it without a premium increase. Confirm with your insurer, but this is rarely a barrier.

Bottom Line

Workplace charging is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost employee benefits available. Level 2 is the right technology for most offices. Load management makes scaling affordable. Federal incentives cover 25-50% of installation costs. And in a labour market where talent attraction matters, visible EV charging infrastructure tells prospective employees exactly what kind of company you are.

Start with 4-6 chargers, run conduit for 20, and you are future-proofed for a decade. The cost is less than one good employee's annual bonus. The return lasts forever.