Owner of my office complex won't let me charge

[bobsfreeleaf]

As someone who works on an "eStaff" for a high tech company let me offer some suggestions for how to get approval for this.

First, it sounds like the request went to a Facilities Manager. Whether the Facilities Manager works for the larger corporation or for the company that owns a shared office complex his/her concerns are the same - meet requirements for the lowest cost, including lowest risk. Of course your request to be allowed to use a 110V parking lot plug will be turned down. First, the Facilities Manager sees no benefit. Second, he/she sees additional costs (the electricity) and additional risks (I'm stretching here, but any extra thing they allow will entail some risk - maybe fire hazard). I have never known a Facilities Manager who would have approved this kind of request independently.

No, in order for this to get approved it needs to go to someone who can tell the Facilities Manager that this is a requirement. Someone who can evaluate this request in light of the low cost of electricity, the potential improvement to PR and employee morale, and the general context of what the company is trying to do. Who should you go to? Every company is different. But this person will need to be someone who cares about environmental and/or employee morale issues and has influence with the executive board. You won't need to bring any additional information than what you already have - you just need to find the right person.

In the mean time, DADT is fine. But be sure you've used one of the strategies available elsewhere on this forum to lock your EVSE cord.

I think your comment is a smart one. As with many business proposals, timing is everything. I think I will wait to ask until there are at least three EV's in our parking lot. That seems a number of consequence. The fairness issue is concerning, though. An employee getting a free $20 a month of electricity, would be enough to start a riot in some work environments I have seen. How would you structure a system where I would repay the boss for the Juice? If free, are there IRS regs for this?

 

[cgaydos]

I think your comment is a smart one. As with many business proposals, timing is everything. I think I will wait to ask until there are at least three EV's in our parking lot. That seems a number of consequence. The fairness issue is concerning, though. An employee getting a free $20 a month of electricity, would be enough to start a riot in some work environments I have seen. How would you structure a system where I would repay the boss for the Juice? If free, are there IRS regs for this?

I hadn't even thought about IRS regs. I suppose that technically it should be treated as income to the employee, but like with free coffee and other minor perks too small too track I suspect the IRS would ignore that. Part of the rationale for free minor perks being tax-free is that they have to be open to all employees in a like group regardless of rank or salary, so part of the fairness issue would be making it clear that the policy was open to all plug-ins.

If the company wanted to spend the time to explore further there may be local tax incentives to their providing electricity to employee plug-ins. If this were true then that could also help defuse the fairness issue ... it's like a company subsidizing the cost of public transport tickets or providing a shuttle to a commuter train or weatherproof bike lockers. Something available to all for the common good, in which the company itself gets some tax benefit, just take advantage if you want to.

 

[cgaydos]

How would you structure a system where I would repay the boss for the Juice?

I didn't address this. Personally I wouldn't even think about trying to do this. Technically this would be income to the company even though it is a a repayment. This involves setting up accounts to track this separate category of income, altering financial reports, and explaining to everyone who reads or will read the reports what this category is. Then you have to have some one chase the people down to pay, with invoices and probably full accounts receivable overhead. It just is much simpler to give the electricity away and take it as either a deduction or, if available, a business tax credit.

 

[PlutoISaPlanet]

16 miles displayed on the dash with 8 to get home over some pretty hilly terrain emergency enough?

Nope. Should be easy.

half of it freeway, too. I didn't chance it. Went somewhere for dinner and pumped some electrons...

 

[PlutoISaPlanet]

Before calling management neanderthals and backward thinking I would try to understand their concerns. Then you can call them neanderthals.

Seriously though, what are the liability issues? Are all of the outlets positioned so that you can not plug in without stretching the cord across a sidewalk? I can see how this could cause a tripping hazard. If I were you I would seek to understand all of their concerns prior to revisiting the issue.

I was a little heated. I'm trying to get to the bottom of the "liability issues"

 

[timhebb]

Reminds me of the time I decided to plug my Leaf's EVSE into a 120V outlet while parked in the garage of a Korean shopping center in K-town (Los Angeles), near where I live.

I was strolling nearby when CarWings texted me that the Leaf had been unplugged. I quickly returned to my car and encountered a group of suspicious-looking Korean men surrounding it (I am Caucasian). One particularly large, beefy and stern one approached me and said in serviceable English: "I know you aren't a customer here. You can't park or use the electricity." He was clearly inferring that I wasn't a customer because I didn't look Korean.

I produced my receipt from the restaurant where I had just eaten lunch in the Asian food court downstairs and held it up for him. He didn't miss a beat, though, and continued to kick me out of the garage. Wish I'd had the presence of mind to suggest he was being racist (he was, in my opinion), but I was guilty of poaching volts, so I merely pointed out that some progressive retailers were providing charging stations for their customers, partly as an inducement to shop or dine there, and maybe it would be a good idea to let customers charge there. He would have none of it.

Signed,

Racially Profiled and Humiliated

 

[smkettner]

^^^^

Should have handed him a quarter to pay for what you took :roll:

 

[eclecticflower]

^^^^

Should have handed him a quarter to pay for what you took :roll:

+1 :lol:

 

[PlutoISaPlanet]

so just a quick update: I've had our office manager communicating back and forth with the property management about this and after receiving the "liability" excuse I wrote them myself and asked if they could expand on their liability concerns. Our office manager then got a call from the property mgr. who said "I already told you no, why are you still asking?"

Basically after a bit of back and forth she stated they were concerned with possible damage to the vehicle while charging on their infrastructure (wtf?) to which we asked if we could provide a release of liability for such a thing. She's getting back to us...

 

[nosuchthing]

I gave up on my employer a year ago - Sutter Health in Ca. No interest in supporting anything related to employee commute. It does not help the bottomline.

If you can plug in to 110 tell them the draw is equivalent to an average hair dryer.

 

[Nubo]

...Our office manager then got a call from the property mgr. who said "I already told you no, why are you still asking?" ...

As I suggested.


That, and your description of a "heated" conversation lead me to worry that there could be serious consequences should your "DADT" approach become known.

Good luck with pushing it through and getting a real "yes". At least it sounds like your manager is on your side.

 

[bobsfreeleaf]

Reminds me of the time I decided to plug my Leaf's EVSE into a 120V outlet while parked in the garage of a Korean shopping center in K-town (Los Angeles), near where I live.

I was strolling nearby when CarWings texted me that the Leaf had been unplugged. I quickly returned to my car and encountered a group of suspicious-looking Korean men surrounding it (I am Caucasian). One particularly large, beefy and stern one approached me and said in serviceable English: "I know you aren't a customer here. You can't park or use the electricity." He was clearly inferring that I wasn't a customer because I didn't look Korean.

I produced my receipt from the restaurant where I had just eaten lunch in the Asian food court downstairs and held it up for him. He didn't miss a beat, though, and continued to kick me out of the garage. Wish I'd had the presence of mind to suggest he was being racist (he was, in my opinion), but I was guilty of poaching volts, so I merely pointed out that some progressive retailers were providing charging stations for their customers, partly as an inducement to shop or dine there, and maybe it would be a good idea to let customers charge there. He would have none of it.

Signed,

Racially Profiled and Humiliated

This is a slight tangent but my uncle who was disabled and lived in a senior center in San Diego used to truck down to the local large mall in his electric wheel chair, which was far enough to run his battery low. He would buy a hotdog, or see a movie and plug in to an outlet to allow him to get home. Sure enough, one day someone from the mall came to him and informed him that he was not allowed to USE THEIR ELECTRICITY. Not being a shy man (300 lbs., one leg; you get the picture). He backs his chair up to the plug and says "now who's gonna come over here and unplug me?! :evil: ........ You get the picture. Bullies come in all shapes and forms.....

 

[brettcgb]

How would you structure a system where I would repay the boss for the Juice?

I didn't address this. Personally I wouldn't even think about trying to do this. Technically this would be income to the company even though it is a a repayment. This involves setting up accounts to track this separate category of income, altering financial reports, and explaining to everyone who reads or will read the reports what this category is. Then you have to have some one chase the people down to pay, with invoices and probably full accounts receivable overhead. It just is much simpler to give the electricity away and take it as either a deduction or, if available, a business tax credit.

Fold EV charging into your regular employee compensation (which includes medical, vacation, paid holidays, etc). Employers sometimes would like to offer additional benefits to their employees to sweeten the package, and may be open to new, low cost possibilities.

 

[KillaWhat]

I was thinking a while back of starting a thread called something like "where have you creatively mooched juice"

I confess that I am a member of the "forgiveness over permission" ilk.

I have a "stealth" setup that has served me well at parking structures and hotels on many occasions.
A Black, flat 90 degree plug with a flat (not round and orange!) cord.

I put the brick under the hood, run the plug out the bottom through a slot I made when installing my horns, plug the j1772 in, close the charging door as far as it will go, park as close to the wall with the outlet as possible, hiding the view of the setup.

Usually the outlet is in some dingy farthest reaches of the parking lot, and nobody seems to notice.

I have a friend who parks in the same lot everyday, and she found an outlet on the roof ( least desirable location) in a walled corner.

She has it down to a science. I made her a stealth plug, and she can park it and plug in, and you really can't see the setup.

Her husband (who is even crazier than I am) made her a stencil, and went in one day, and painted "reserved, no parking" on this spot.

Us early adopter EV cowboys are just outlaws living on the edge.

And yes, they would be happy to pay for the electric, but nobody is set up for that, it would just cause problems, wake up the lawyers, etc.

Asking, and getting denied permission, and doing it anyway is not cool.