Business and community electric vehicle charging station guide
Are you interested in installing an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at your business or in your community? Follow our step-by-step process to get started.
Are you interested in installing an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at your business or in your community? Follow our step-by-step process to get started.
As you determine whether an electric vehicle charging station is a good choice for your business or community, here are a few things to consider:
Outcomes: What is your reason for installing an EV charging station? What kind of results do you want to see?
Customer experience: Where will you put the EV charging station? Who will use it? How long do you expect customers to be at the EV charging station? What will the customers do while their vehicle is charging?
Budget: What budget do you have to install an EV charging station? How many EV charging stations do you need?
Revenue: You have the option to set up a fee structure to use the EV charging station. Are you expecting to collect revenue?
Timeline: When do you want the EV charging station operational?
Availability: Do you want to advertise the EV charging station publicly? If so, how will you market it to your audience?
Once you have made the decision to move forward with an EV charging station, you can explore your specific options and the costs involved in greater detail. Here are some helpful tips:
To get the most accurate cost estimate for your project, research the various EV charging station manufacturers and their products. Get quotes to compare prices and ask for spec sheets to help engineers and electricians evaluate equipment and infrastructure needs.*
Alliant Energy recommends charging stations with ENERGY STAR certification.
*Alliant Energy does not endorse any EV charging station manufacturer mentioned or not mentioned. Alliant Energy is not liable for any damage or malfunctions from EV charging stations purchased from an EV charging station manufacturer or vendor.
Questions to consider during your research of EV charging stations include:
The service equipment you order, such as Current Transformer (CT) cabinets, will need to align with Alliant Energy’s electric service rules. Check out our electric service manuals first and contact us at 1-800-ALLIANT (800-255-4268) if the equipment is not listed in the manual. We will review the project to make sure you order the right equipment, saving you time and money.
With a list of compatible software platforms provided by the charging station manufacturer, get quotes from multiple software platform providers to compare prices. Some questions to consider asking the software platform provider include:
Note for Iowa customers: Effective July 1, 2023, the state of Iowa will collect a $0.026 per kilowatt-hour excise tax on the sale of electricity from nonresidential EV charging stations into a battery or other energy storage device of an electric motor vehicle. Ask the software manufacturer about their product’s ability to meet this requirement. Learn more about the tax here.
These charts can help you estimate the project cost of your EV charging station, as well as funding resources that may be available to you:
Table 1: Electric vehicle charging station summary
type of charging stations | users | estimated project costs* |
kilowatts (kw) |
---|---|---|---|
Level 2
|
- Visitors staying more than one hour. - Visitors staying less than one hour to top off, rather than get a full charge. - Drivers who need an overnight charge. |
$15,000-$20,000 | 3-19 |
Level 3
|
- Visitors staying one hour or less but needing a full charge. - Drivers who need to charge quickly. |
20 kW: $15,000-$30,000 50 kW: $40,000-$60,000 100 kW: $60,000-$80,000 150 kW: $80,000-$100,000 180+ kW: >$100,000 NEVI projects: $1 million |
20-180+ |
*Note: Actual project costs may vary based on EV charging station prices, installation costs and services purchased such as warranties.
Table 2: Funding options
level 3 | other | |
---|---|---|
Iowa
|
IADOT NEVI | Iowa Clean Cities |
Wisconsin
|
WisDOT NEVI | Wisconsin Clean Cities |
For Level 2 EV charging stations:
Visit the Alliant Energy Marketplace.
All customers: Check out EPA’s ENERGY STAR website for qualifying EV charging stations.
Other funding resources:
Before the site visit, we ask that you provide the following information to Alliant Energy and the electrician:
During the site visit, here are some of the questions you may want to ask:
Note: If you are interested in installing a Level 3 EV charging station and have single-phase power to your site, consider whether an EV charging station model that comes with a battery might be a more cost-efficient option for you. Work with Alliant Energy and the EV charging station manufacturers to evaluate the best solution.
Work with Alliant Energy, the electrician and other vendors to complete the electrical and civil construction to support the EV charging station. Work with the software platform provider to commission the EV charging station and resolve any problems.
When everything is completed, make sure the EV charging station is operational by plugging in an electric vehicle. Work with the electrician and EV charging station manufacturer to resolve any problems.
What if I only want a specific group of drivers (i.e., employees or guests) to be able to use the EV charging station?
Access to the EV charging station can be restricted. The software platform provider will be able to set up restrictions and come up with the access solution that works best for your needs.
How do drivers pay to use the EV charging station?
Most software platform providers require drivers to create an account linked to a method of payment. Drivers can access their account through a website, a mobile app or a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card. Consult with the software platform provider about how fees are collected and how much of those charges would be given back to you.
Other equipment such as credit card readers can be installed on the EV charging station for an additional cost that can charge credit cards directly. Consult with the EV charging station manufacturer about other payment methods their equipment supports.
How do I set up fees to use the EV charging station?
There are two main structures used to set up fees on an EV charging station: Fees based on kilowatt-hours (kWh) and fees based on time. The software platform provider will be able to set up a fee structure that meets your needs.
In Iowa, an EV charging station serviced by the electrical grid are able to charge fees by the kWh. An EV charging station not serviced by the electric grid but by a form of self-generation such as solar energy may be considered a public utility for charging drivers by the kWh.
In Wisconsin, the current interpretation of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Chapter 196 is that only public utilities are able to charge customers directly by the kWh for using electricity. Time-based fee structures are the best solution at this time to charge drivers for using the EV charging station in Wisconsin.
What is a networked EV charging station?
A networked EV charging station is connected via Wi-Fi, ethernet or cellular modem. The network connection provides more information about the use of the EV charging station and makes processing payments easier. Consult the charging station manufacturer and software provider about the best network connectivity option for you.
How much does electricity cost for a charging station?
In Iowa, time-of-day rates are available that could save money if charging stations are primarily used during off-peak hours. Keeping peak demand lower during on-peak and off-peak hours will save money, especially with Level 3 fast charging stations. Certain software can control how much power charging stations use at any given time and set a maximum demand. Consult with the software provider about these options.
In Wisconsin, time-of-day rates are available that could save money if charging stations are primarily used during low-rate periods. Rates also include a demand limiter that caps the cost of electricity per kWh any time the charging station is used. This is beneficial for sporadically used Level 3 fast charging stations.
Learn more about our electric rates.