EV Charging: Ultimate Guide To Electrifying A Commercial EV Future

It is usually easiest to partner with an EV charging company, like WattLogic, which offers turnkey EV fleet charging solutions. This means if you work with us to install a commercial EV charging station on your site, we will take care of the site audit, product recommendation, infrastructure planning, incentive and rebate management, permitting, and labor and installation.

EV charging installation companies – Selecting the right EV company

Not all companies that install electric car charging stations are created equal. You’ll want to work with an EV charging company that is focused on your goals and has the knowledge to execute the job. 

Electrifying your fleet or starting up a workplace charging system can quickly become complicated, especially when it comes to the EV infrastructure. 

WattLogic has experience with utility coordination, vehicle-to-grid integration, communication network design, and construction phasing. We provide cost-effective solutions for all levels of chargers and all different types of chargers. If you partner with us for your commercial EV charging station installation, you will have peace of mind knowing your project will go smoothly and the results will be exactly what you had envisioned. If you don’t have a vision yet, we can help guide you through your options so you can create a commercial EV charging plan.

How much do commercial EV charging stations cost?

The cost to install a commercial charging station can vary depending on dozens of factors, but you can expect to spend $5,000 to $50,000 per station installed. This figure will ultimately be much lower due to the rebates and incentives available for EV installation. You may save even more if you have existing electrical infrastructure that can be retrofitted for EV charging stations.

To figure out how much commercial EV charging stations cost for your facility, you’ll have to consider infrastructure and installation costs.

Infrastructure expenses will be the most expensive and will depend on:

• Cost to deliver power to the commercial EV charging stations
• Labor and material costs for electrical conduit and wire, which will require digging
• Labor and material costs for pouring new concrete
• Labor and material for electrical panels (if needed)
• Networked or non-networked

Installation expenses depend on factors such as:

• Number of chargers
• Charger manufacturer
• Charger level
• Labor
• Permits
• Taxes
• Location
• Landscaping/lighting features

EV charging installation financing options – what’s available?

Turnkey installation – Everything is covered for you. An EV charging company that offers this option should provide design, product selection, permitting, rebate and incentive management, and installation. With this option, you don’t have to worry about anything but figuring out how to alert everyone about the new EV charging stations!

Fleet charging as a service or workplace charging as a service – You pay a monthly subscription fee and avoid paying all upfront costs. With this subscription fee, you receive everything as you would have had you purchased it outright.

If you choose WattLogic as your EV charging company, with our fleet charging as a service package you will also receive revenue from people charging, which could cover the cost of your subscription fee. Depending on how robust your EV charging station system is you could even see positive cash flow! 

Shared Revenue – The EV charging contractor will install your stations for you and take on the cost, then collect the revenue your stations receive from drivers charging their EVs. A variation of this option would be the EV charging installer splitting both the cost and revenue with you.

If you’re wondering about residential installations…this is how much it costs to install an EV charger at home.

Charging at home with a Level 2 charging station is the ideal way to charge an EV. The EV driver gets to charge in the comfort and safety of their own home at a rate up to 15 times faster than with the slow charger that came with the purchase of the EV. They’ll get to take advantage of the convenience of charging at home rather than having to search for a public charging station and they will never have to fill up at a gas station again. An EV driver will also be able to alleviate any range anxiety (the fear that one will run out of battery in their EV and become stranded) they may have with a home EV charger.

A Level 2 home EV charger requires a dedicated 208-/240-volt circuit, which should only be installed by a licensed electrician.

A residential Level 2 charging station costs between $450 to $2,000, with the labor costing $400 or more.

The cost of a Level 2 EV charging station ranges in price depending on the type of features the customer wants, if it’s installed indoors or outdoors, and if it’s a plug-in or hardwired unit. The labor costs depend on the complexity of the installation. For example, the further away the outlet for the EV charger is from the panel, the more it will cost. The final labor costs depend on the total amount of electrical work it requires to get the EV charger up and running.

EV rebates and incentives – maximizing energy savings

A residential or commercial electric vehicle charging station is likely more affordable than you think. If you take advantage of the many rebates and incentives available to you, you could offset a good majority of the costs associated with the project, including the equipment costs, infrastructure expenses, and installation costs. 

Incentives and rebates are offered by utility companies, state governments, and the federal government. 

Most of these programs have deadlines and termination dates. Many of them are based on a first-come, first-served basis until a specific amount of allotted funds runs out. The best way to ensure you can take advantage of EV charging rebates and incentives is to act quickly. 

In some cases, a rebate or incentive program may be able to cover a good portion of your EV charging station project costs, while some may even cover 100% of the project’s costs. For example, Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready Program offers rebates up to 100% of project costs. 

As you will see below, you can oftentimes combine rebates from different sources and receive even more cashback on your commercial EV charging station project. 

Check out our EV rebates page for more information.

Utility rebates for EV chargers

Dozens of utilities across the U.S. offer rebates for EV charging equipment and installation. Every utility company is different and some offer larger rebates than others. 

For example, in Alameda, California, Alameda Municipal Power commercial customers can receive up to $5,000 for each EV charging station installed. 

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) commercial customers can also receive up to $5,000 per single-port electric vehicle charging station and up to $5,750 per dual-port charging station. 

In Austin, Texas, Austin Energy offers commercial customers an incentive of up to $4,000 or 50% of workplace EV charging stations. 

In North Carolina, Greenville Utilities commercial customers can receive a rebate of up to $1,500 for EV charging stations. 

In Tucson, Arizona, Tucson Electric Power offers rebates for EV charging projects at the workplace, multi-family, and nonprofit locations through their Smart EV Charging Program. Standard workplace EV charging projects can receive a rebate of $4,500 per port, up to 75% of the project cost. Businesses located in lower-income areas can receive $6,000 per port, up to 75% of the project cost.

SCE EV rebate

Southern California Edison (SCE) offers electric vehicle incentives and EV charging incentives for its residential and commercial customers.

On the residential side, you can receive a  $1,000 rebate for a pre-owned EV or $1,500 for a lease or purchase of a new EV through the California Clean Fuel Reward. The instant reward is available to anyone who buys or leases a new EV with a battery capacity of greater than 5 kWh in California. The California Clean Fuel Reward is offered on a sliding scale that depends on the EV’s battery size. 

When it comes to electric vehicles for business, SCE offers incentives to commercial, multi-family, and public sector facilities through their Charge Ready Program. SCE does offer the design-build and installation of EV infrastructure through their program, but if you opt to install the customer-side (not the utility-side) of the EV infrastructure through a partner like WattLogic, you could qualify for a rebate of up to 80% of what SCE estimates the construction to cost.

SCE also offers rebates for Level 1 and Level 2 charging station purchase and installation. 

The above examples of EV charging rebates from utilities above are just a shortlist. Reach out to one of our incentive specialists at (800) 834-8737 to find out more about utility rebates for commercial EV charging stations in your area.

State incentives for EV charging – incentives, rebates, and tax credits

Dozens of states offer grants, incentives, rebates, and tax incentives for EV charging. The incentives included in the list below aren’t necessarily provided by the state government, but by state or local agencies as well. Find out the best and worst states to own electric cars by checking out this data study at Bumper.com.

This list is meant to show you the EV charging rebates & incentives that are available to you for EV charging outside of those offered by utilities and the federal government.

• Alabama – The Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Program will distribute 15% of the Alabama Volkswagen Settlement Beneficiary Mitigation Plan funding for Light-Duty EV infrastructure. The program will prioritize a portion of the I-20/I-459 corridor. Eligible applicants are government and non-government entities looking to install EV charging infrastructure equipment.

• California – California has been at the forefront of supporting EV adoption and has invested more in financial incentives for EVs and EV chargers than any other state. The Golden State has banned the sale of gasoline-powered cars and passenger trucks starting in 2035. According to research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in 2000 there were 79,465 public EV charging stations in the country. California had the country’s largest share of them at 31.8%.

Most of the EV charging rebates come from utilities, but there are several state-specific incentive programs: The Electric Vehicle Charging Station Financing Program (Program), part of the California Capital Access Program (CalCAP), provides loans for the design, development, purchase, and installation of electric vehicle charging stations at small business locations in California. Small businesses are eligible for a rebate of 50% of the loan loss reserve amount after the small business repays the loan in full or meets monthly payment deadlines over a 48-month period. The maximum loan amount is $500,000 per qualified small business and can be insured for up to four years. 

The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (SBCAPCD) provides grants for the installation of EV charging infrastructure located in Santa Barbara County. Grants may cover 80% of project cost, up to $150,000. Eligible projects can receive a rebate of up to $250,000. The amount given cannot exceed 80% of the total eligible project costs.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District administers the Charge Up! Program, which provides funding for public agencies and businesses for the purchase and installation of new, publicly accessible EV chargers. Rebates are available for up to $5,000 per single-port Level 2 charger, $6,000 per dual-port Level 2 charger, and $25,000 per direct current fast charger. 

The California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) offers businesses that install publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations a rebate of up to 75% of the equipment and installation costs. Property owners can receive incentives of up to $7,500 per Level 2 charger and up to $80,000 for DC fast chargers. The rebates depend on what area of the state your business is located: Central Coast, Inland Counties, Northern California, Peninsula-Silicon Valley, Sacramento County, San Diego County, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, and the Sonoma Coast.

• District of Columbia -Businesses can receive a tax credit of up to 50% of the equipment and labor costs of commercial EV charging stations through the Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Conversion and Infrastructure Tax Credit. You could receive up to $10,000 total per electric vehicle charging station if it is publicly accessible.

• Hawaii – Commercial businesses can receive loans and a revolving credit line of up to $50 million for the purchase and lease of EVs and the installation of EV supply equipment through the Green Infrastructure Special Fund.

• Idaho – The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) is accepting applications for funding of direct current (DC) fast charging EV charging stations through their Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Program. The program will prioritize EV charging stations planned for specific highway corridors and stations within a half-mile of major highways with 24-hour public access.  A committee will review applications and contact qualified parties.

• Illinois – The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) offers transportation electrification grants of up to $70 million for EV charging infrastructure. The IEPA prioritizes medium- and heavy-duty vehicle charging, and electrification of public transit, fleets, and school buses.

• Kansas – The Kansas Department of Revenue offers an income tax credit of up to 40% of the total cost of EV charging infrastructure. The Alternative-fuel Tax Credit may not exceed $100,000 per EV charging station.

• Massachusetts – The Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (MassEVIP) offers rebates of different percentages depending on how the EV chargers will be used. They provide incentives for public access chargers, workplace chargers, fleet chargers, DC fast chargers, and multi-unit dwelling chargers:

The MassEVIP Public Access Charging Program offers commercial entities grants of up to 80% of the cost of Level 2 chargers and installation, with a maximum rebate of $50,000 per project. Qualified EV charging stations must be available to the public for at least 12 hours per day. 

The MassEVIP Workplace & Fleet Charging Program offers grants for 60% of the cost of Level 1 or Level 2 EV chargers, with a maximum rebate of $50,000 per street address. Eligible projects include commercial workplace and fleet EV charging stations with 15 or more employees on site. 

The MassEVIP DC Fast Charging Program offers rebates of up to 80% of the cost of DC fast charging EV charging equipment and installation, with a maximum incentive of $50,000 per street address. Qualified EV charging stations at public locations must be available to the public 24 hours per day.

The MassEVIP MUD Charging and Educational Campus Charging Program grants offers rebates of up to 60% of the cost of Level 1 or Level 2 electric vehicle chargers installed at multi-unit dwellings and educational campuses, with a maximum incentive of $50,000 per street address. Eligible properties include multi-family dwellings with five or more residential units. 

• Michigan  – The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy offers funding for public or private organizations for the installation of DC fast chargers, site preparation, and networking fees and signage. Eligible EV program applicants can receive up to 33.3% of the total cost of the project or a direct match of the electric utility funding of up to $70,000.

• Nebraska – The Nebraska Energy Office’s Dollar and Energy Saving Loan Program offers low-cost loans for the construction or purchase of EV chargers. The maximum loan amount is $500,000 per borrower, and the interest rate is 5% or less.

• New Mexico – The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) offers rebates for eligible mitigation projects for nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. NMED may provide funds up to 100% of the cost to purchase, install, and maintain eligible light-duty EV charging equipment.

• New York – The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance offers an income tax credit of 50% of the cost of EV charging infrastructure, up to $5,000 through the alternative fuels and electric vehicle recharging property credit.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Charge Ready NY program offers rebates for public and private entities toward the purchase and installation of Level 2 EVSE at public parking facilities, workplaces, and multi-unit dwellings. Rebates are available for $4,000 per port.

• Ohio – The Ohio Development Services Agency’s  Alternative Fuel Transportation Program offers financial assistance to businesses, non-profit organizations, school districts, and local governments for the purchase and installation of alternative fueling, blending, and distribution facilities or terminals.

• Oklahoma – The state provides an Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Tax Credit of up to 45% for the cost of installing commercial EV charging infrastructure. The tax credit applies to tax years beginning before December 31, 2027. Eligible electric vehicle recharging infrastructure must be a metered-for-fee, public access recharging system.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) ChargeOK program offers grants for public electric vehicle charging stations. Eligible projects include direct current (DC) fast chargers located along designated plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) transportation corridors and DC fast chargers or Level 2 EVSE located at destination locations or community charging hubs. DEQ will award competitive grants for up to 80% of eligible project costs.

• Pennsylvania – The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) Program offers reimbursement grants for the installation of new or existing alternative fuel infrastructure for fleet, workplace, residential, or public EV recharging sites. Grants are available for reimbursement of 50% of the cost, up to $600,000.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) offers rebates for the acquisition, installation, operation, and maintenance of Level 2 EV charging stations. Eligible projects must be on publicly accessible government-owned or non-government-owned property, at workplaces, or at multi-unit dwellings that are not publicly accessible. The maximum reimbursement is $4,500 per plug or up to 90% of project costs. The DEP will award direct current EV charging projects a maximum reimbursement of 70% of project costs with a maximum per award of $250,000.

• Rhode Island – The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) offers financial incentives through the Electrify RI Program for the installation of new EV charging stations at Rhode Island workplaces, multi-unit dwellings, government properties, and publicly accessible locations. Funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Tennessee – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) provides incentives for light-duty EV charging projects. Private, public, and non-profit organizations, including state, local, and tribal governments, are eligible for funding.

• Texas – The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) administers the Emissions Reduction Incentive Grants (ERIG) Program and Rebate Grants Program as part of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP). Eligible projects include EV charging infrastructure. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) also provides funding for eligible medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Both government and non-government entities that own and operate diesel fleets and equipment are eligible for funding.

• Utah – The Utah Department of Environmental Quality offers rebates for up to 50% of the installation cost of Level 2 and direct current (DC) fast EV charging stations through the Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Funding Assistance Program. Utah-based businesses and non-profit organizations are eligible for a maximum rebate of $75,000 each, and governmental entities are also eligible to apply.

• Vermont – The Vermont State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) offers loan assistance to municipalities, regional development corporations, political subdivisions of the state, and private companies working for the state to finance public electric vehicle charging stations. 1% fixed loans up to $100,000 are available to municipalities, non-profits, and private sector borrowers.

• Washington – The Electric Vehicle and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Infrastructure and Battery Tax Credit states public lands used for installing, maintaining, and operating EVSE are exempt from leasehold excise taxes. Additionally, the state sales and use taxes do not apply to labor and services for installing, repairing, altering, or improving plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and FCEV infrastructure.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Partnerships (ZEVIP) offers competitive grants to strengthen and expand the West Coast Electric Highway network by deploying electric vehicle supply equipment with Level 2 and direct current (DC) fast chargers along highway corridors in Washington.  Eligible project costs include equipment purchases, electrical upgrades, installation, operations, and maintenance.

The list of states below do not offer state-specific EV charging rebates and incentives right now:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Kentucky
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming
  
  

If your state is included in the list above, that doesn’t mean your facility cannot offset the costs of your EV equipment, infrastructure, or installation costs! There are dozens of more incentives and rebates offered by utilities as well as other agencies looking to support EV adoption. Please reach out to us so we can help you find rebates in your area for commercial EV charging station projects.

Federal EV tax credit for installing electric vehicle charging stations

EV charging hardware and installation were eligible for a federal tax credit known as the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit. The tax credit expired on December 31, 2021.

This is a good example of why you cannot wait to install your EV charging stations. You could have received a tax credit of up to 30% of the cost of EV charging equipment and installation. Residential installations were eligible for a credit of up to $1,000, while commercial EV infrastructure could have received a tax credit of up to $30,000.

How to get started with EV charging company solutions?

Connect with a trusted and reputable EV charging company that can offer you a turnkey solution that covers everything for you – design, EV charger selection, permitting, rebate and incentives management, and construction and installation.