As a recent Qmerit post points out, parking lots take up a lot of space on a retailer’s property. That makes them a costly – but much-needed – amenity for their customers. EV chargers in retail parking lots can help retailers maximize their investment in this high-dollar real estate.
Image via Freepik
If you’re thinking about adding EV infrastructure to your retail parking lot, you’ll want to optimize its benefits to your business.
Sell Your Team on EV Chargers in Retail Parking Lots
Unless you’re an individual business owner, you probably have a C-suite team you need to sell on new ideas. Since some of your leadership might not be familiar with the benefits of EV charging infrastructure, it’s essential that you provide them with information about how installing EV chargers in your retail parking lots can benefit your company’s bottom line.
Image via Freepik
Reading case studies profiling other retailers and hospitality companies that have already installed EV charging infrastructure can help your C-suite feel more comfortable with the move. In addition, pointing out ways that your company can monetize its investment in EV charging technology can also help lure them into the proposition.
Take Advantage of Cost-Saving Measures
Reducing your company’s costs can help optimize your investment in your parking lot’s EV charging stations. Small steps, such as reducing the distance between your charging stations and power sources, can save you money during the trenching process, says the Qmerit piece.
Image via Freepik
Another way to cut costs over the long haul is to install solar panels to augment the power your chargers will need to draw from the grid. In addition, this move can provide you with enough energy to feed back into the grid during peak hours, earning your company passive income in the process.
Decrease the Paperwork and Delays Through Partnering with Local Government
As commercial real estate company CBRE points out in a recent post, it pays to partner with local government bodies to streamline the permitting process. Educating your community about the benefits they can enjoy with more EV chargers available to EV-owning residents can help you avoid the bureaucratic roadblocks that naysayers might put up.
Discover the key interests of each local decision-maker. Take a page from account-based marketing and tailor your approach to show how your project can advance those interests. After all, you’re selling your idea to your community’s leaders.
Loop Your Local Power Company in Early During the Planning Process
Image via Freepik
As the CBRE article shows, it’s essential to involve your local electrical utility company during the early parts of the planning process. As one city that failed to consult its power company early on found out, a conflicting project near its proposed chargers made it necessary to seek another location – after the community had already invested heavily in the original site.
In addition, your power company can provide expertise to help you find the most efficient power delivery. If they participate in a V2G program, you can use that as a selling point to encourage your customers to switch to an EV – and patronize your store instead of your competitors’ establishments. After all, who wouldn’t want to shop where they can save time by fueling their cars while they shop?
Research Strategies That Can Help You Meet Your Corporate Sustainability Goals
Many large retailers have moved toward a more sustainable future. Whether they provide free reusable shopping bags, as did the Cleveland-area Giant Eagle grocery chain, or install new EV chargers in the corner of their parking lot, they are helping the earth on which they stand to have fewer plastics in the ground and cleaner air to breathe.
Finding a way to publicize your EV chargers to the general public is one strategy that could lead to greater EV adoption in your community. Knowing that chargers are readily available can ease prospective EV buyers’ range anxiety. Locating your EV charging stations closer to the exit and entry doors, too, can help encourage more people to consider an EV.
Again, finding renewable energy sources that can help lower your stores’ carbon footprint and your electric bills can help you meet your corporate sustainability goals. Document the savings so that you can include the numbers on your website for investors and customers to see.
Have the Infrastructure in Place to Collect Payments and Analyze Data
Measuring your chargers’ performance is essential for optimizing your parking lot’s EV infrastructure. Research data infrastructure providers to make sure you can assess your critical metrics.
If you plan to charge your customers, make sure to have an efficient payment platform that makes it easy for them to pay and for your number-crunchers to measure revenue versus costs.
Have a No-Fail Maintenance Plan in Place Before Going Live
The last thing you want is to have all the equipment and tech in place, advertise your new charging stations, and then have everything fall to pieces because a piece of equipment fails at your grand opening. Instead, put a no-fail maintenance plan – with backup protocols – well in place before you open.
Then, before your official opening, test your system to make sure everything is ready to roll. There’s no substitute for a well-planned launch. Otherwise, you risk alienating your customers and thus having a poor word-of-mouth reputation.
Learn More About Retail EV Charging Optimization at the EV Charging Summit
Discover more about how to optimize your retail parking lot EV infrastructure from some of the finest minds in the EV charging space at the EV Charging Summit. There, you can interact personally with industry experts who can help you solve your top challenges in a conversational format.
Ask all the questions you want, share your own insights, and network with some of the finest minds in the EV charging infrastructure industry. Don’t wait to sign up for this must-attend event with retail-focused presentations. Register for your seat at the table today!
