Procedure Electric Vehicle Charging Program for Fleet and Personal Vehicles

Procedure on Electric Vehicle Charging Program for Fleet and Personal Vehicles

1. Parent Policy and Related Policies/Procedures

Policy on Electric Vehicle Charging Program for Fleet and Personal Vehicles

2. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure safe and efficient charging for battery-electric and hybrid-electric fleet and personal vehicles (using stations installed for fleet use by paying a fee).

3. Applicability

This policy applies to FRA and all its employees, users, and affiliates and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) employees involved in charging fleet and/or personal EVs at Fermilab.

4. Effective Date and Date Reviewed/Updated

This procedure went into effect on November 13, 2024.

5. Procedure

1. Joining the Personal Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Program           

i. Persons who are eligible to join the Personal EV Charging Program include: Fermilab employees, users, and affiliates, and DOE employees.

ii. Individuals interested in charging personal EVs using Fermilab fleet EV charging stations will contact the ISD-Logistics and Property Control Department at EVCharging@fnal.gov to request access.

iii. The Fleet Manager will issue the interested individual the program policy and procedure with instructions to proceed.

iv. Once an individual has obtained instructions, they will create a personal account and download the associated mobile application used to manage access and payments for using the EV charging stations.

v. The locations of the charging stations available for personal EV charging are available online at https://isd-atwork.fnal.gov/engineering-sustainability-transportation-evc/.

2. Personal Vehicle Charging Rules and Fees     

i. Individuals approved for use of the EV charging stations, through their established accounts with the vendor, will be charged a fee as determined by Fermilab for each charging session to cover the cost of electricity and any associated equipment use fees.

(1) The cost of electricity is determined through local rate estimates for the laboratory and may change on an annual basis.

(2) The cost of associated equipment use fees is determined through the cost of associated charging infrastructure construction and maintenance. This value is subject to change according to infrastructure development onsite.

(a) The current cost for charging is determined on an annual basis and will be updated on Inside Fermilab. One session is defined as charging for up to four hours at a time.

ii. Fees collected by the vendor will be reimbursed to Fermilab and received by the Finance Division.

3. Fleet Charging Station Use

i. Vehicle custodians who are assigned a battery-electric or plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle will receive instructions on available EV charging when they receive their vehicle. Information is also available at https://isd-atwork.fnal.gov/engineering-sustainability-transportation/.

ii. Fleet vehicles may use any of the Level 1 outlets or Level 2 charging stations at any time for as long as needed to resume their operational activities.

iii. Vehicle custodians should unplug their vehicle from Level 2 charging stations within 30 minutes of fully charging the vehicle to make the station available for others to use if charging occurs during the hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Depending on the parking lot configuration, this may mean moving the vehicle to another parking spot. Fleet vehicles parking overnight do not need to be moved until the start of the next business day.

iv. Fleet custodians may interrupt an active personal vehicle charging session if needed at any time, by using the following steps:

(1) If a Fleet Custodian requires an in-use charging station to charge their fleet vehicle for work purposes, they may alert the person whose personal vehicle is currently charging via the ChargePoint notice system.

(2) The Fleet Custodian may also contact the Fleet Manager, who can additionally alert the personnel member to unplug their vehicle and move their car.

(3) POV owner should make a good faith effort to confirm receipt of the request for Fleet EV use of the charging station within 30 minutes and provide feedback on when they would be able to move their vehicle.  If vehicle cannot be unplugged and moved early, POV should make every effort to remove their vehicle promptly at the end of their charging session on time.

(a) Penalties for not responding to requests to move a vehicle include a strike system and eventual suspension from the EV charging program.

v. Fleet custodians may also contact the Fleet Manager should they require assistance in identifying a custodian of another fleet EV in order to request that the individual move their vehicle to allow another fleet EV to charge.

d. Electric Vehicle Station Management and Policy Enforcement

i. The Fermilab personal EV charging program is managed by the Fleet Manager in cooperation with the Sustainability Team.

ii. The Fermilab Security Department is available upon request by the Fleet Manager, Area Facility Manager, and/or Sustainability Team to support enforcement of the Policy on Electric Vehicle Charging Program for Fleet and Personal Vehicles and of this procedure.

iii. Fermilab may suspend or revoke an individual’s ability to charge at Fermilab fleet EV charging stations at any time for failing to adhere to the EV charging policy or this procedure.

(1) Reasons for suspension include:

(a) Three policy violations accumulated due to the failure to move personal vehicle at the request of the Fleet Manager/Custodian;

(b) Inflicting damage or vandalism to the charging stations in any way;

(c) Disobeying the rules of the road or not adhering to parking rules on the Fermilab campus;

(d) Improper charging practices such as attempting to use Level 1 outlets on campus; and

(e) Failure to follow the stated policy and procedure on utilizing the EV charging program.

iv. Failure to adhere to the EV charging policy or procedure can also be considered a violation of the Policy on Workplace Conduct and subject to discretionary disciplinary action.

e. Electric Vehicle Charging Station and Outlet Maintenance

i. Level 1 outdoor outlets are to be maintained by the user through coordination with the appropriate AFM. AFMs are responsible for responding to maintenance requests regarding new outlets to be vetted and for ensuring all appropriate safety measures are met. If an issue with an outlet is encountered, the user must coordinate with the AFM to get it fixed before use may resume.

ii. Level 2 charging stations are to be maintained through the relevant vendor contract (i.e. ChargePoint) while under warranty. Any maintenance past the warranty period will be the responsibility of Fermilab to coordinate through the Vehicle Maintenance organization.

6. Definitions

Fermilab is the physical site and property that is Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Fermi Research Alliance, LLC is the operator and manager of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy Prime Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359 and is the principal employer of personnel working at Fermilab.

Level 1: This is an electric vehicle charging station utilizing a standard 110/120V outlet. In addition, this station delivers alternating current (AC) with a maximum power output of 2.3kW. EVs utilize this charging method through plugging into the outlet with the manufacturer provided cable.

Level 2: This is an electric vehicle charging station utilizing high output 280V specialized equipment designed specifically for fast electric vehicle charging. This station delivers alternating current (AC) with a maximum power output of up to 22 kW. EVs utilize this charging method through plugging a connector in to their vehicle that draws and delivers power from a hardwired charging unit.

7. Owner and Subject Matter Experts

The Property Requirements Assurance System Owner is the owner of this procedure.

The Infrastructure Services Senior Director is responsible for approving this procedure.

The Property Requirements Assurance System Owner is responsible for evaluating this procedure and its associated activities and for developing and sustaining the support necessary to maintain the EV charging program.

The Fleet Manager is responsible for representing the needs of the fleet custodians, managing charging station function and maintenance, and providing balance between fleet and personal charging needs.

The Sustainability Management Team is responsible for providing support and consultation on vehicle and charging station requirements to meet U.S. Department of Energy goals and for assisting in communication and outreach for matters surrounding this procedure.

The Security Department is responsible for responding to reports of unauthorized vehicles in both fleet-only charging locations and shared charging stations. The department also supports notification of violation to participants charging their personal vehicles.

The Finance Division will direct and oversee the reimbursement process to receive and transfer funds from EV charging station vendor(s).

8. Review Cycle

This procedure shall be reviewed every three years.

9. Communication Plan

This procedure will be communicated by the Property Requirements Assurance System Owner to all employees, users, and affiliates, and periodic training shall be provided to requirement owners and ALD/senior/office/project directors. This policy shall be available on the Fermilab Policies website.

10. References

Policy on Taxonomy & Nomenclature Matrix

Revision History