A Day in the Life of an Electric Vehicle Charger Engineer

By Shweta Reddy

As the green industry continues showing tremendous growth, so have the green collar jobs that have arisen within the past few years.  Among the newest green collar jobs belongs to a new sector – engineers working on electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

An average day for Mike Meall, Electric Vehicle Charging Station Engineer at SemaConnect, consists of field maintenance, cleaning up the ChargePro machines, software updates and maintaining the NRTL , the National Recognized Testing Laboratories, which tests the charging stations and evaluates if they are safe for customer use.

When asked if he ever saw himself becoming an engineer for Electric Vehicle Charging stations his reply was, “Not at all.”

Meall, who is from Alabama and likes big trucks and fast cars, never thought of working in a company that makes charging stations for electric vehicles. In college he majored in Electrical Engineering, and in his junior year he joined the Navy. During his time in the Navy he worked in avionics and planes such as the EA-6B Prowlers.

When he was younger, Meall and his father would often work on many science projects together. “It seemed almost natural for me to start a career in electrical engineering,” says Meall. After his tenure in the Navy, Meall sought for an electrical engineering position. Later in the year, he received an offer from SemaConnect.  At the time, SemaConnect was a burgeoning EV charging stations and software start-up in a technology incubator and not in the typical Silicone Valley setting – instead in Annapolis, MD. 

“It’s not as simple as I thought it would be,” says Meall.  The relentless synergy at startups left Meall with days when he would tenaciously work to assemble products on his own. His work ethic, drive and determination resulted in him pulling in increasingly long hours in order to learn and deploy stations simultaneously.

There are also a number of complications with trying to push out a new product in a brand new industry that can prove to be problematic overall. He praises Vince Kayser, Systems Engineer, and Joe Engel, Chief Technical Advisor , for showing him the ropes during his first few months at SemaConnect.  

His motivation comes from working towards accomplishing his goals and seeing more stations on our roads across the country.  “I’ll be able to look back when there are charging stations everywhere and know that I contributed, that I played a part in building that,” says Meall.

What Meall enjoys about engineering in general is the trouble shooting aspect, being handed a problem and then working together to fix it. “As a Navy veteran, I believe it was a good transition from the Navy into my position at SemaConnect,” Meall says.  He talks about his experience with charging stations being a combination of challenging and rewarding.  

He said that the most satisfying part of his job was, “working with like-minded people who have the same goals as the company and society and my goal is to see the company grow.”

Some basic concepts for those who are interested in being an electric vehicle charging station engineer are a good background on power sources, engineering, circuitry, critical thinking skills, thinking outside the box and electronic trouble shooting skills.

Meall is a refreshing reminder of the blossoming green industry and the new jobs that are popping up across the nation.  

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Shweta Reddy is the summer Marketing Intern at SemaConnect.  She is a rising Senior in high school and is excited about college and working in the green industry.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Airports: Shaping the Future Electric Vehicle Landscape

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By Joseph Tohill

EV charging stations are the latest trend to hit the urban environment and they are becoming increasingly common as the EV market continues to expand. In fact, if you look around your city, you might have noticed EV charging stations springing up near shopping malls, in office buildings, in parking garages, and even in residential communities. But one of the hot new places to locate an EV charging station is the pinnacle transportation hub of the 21^st century: the airport.

Indeed, several airports across the country have recognized the importance of providing amenities for EV drivers. After all, with all the millions of people that pass through American airports every day, it is quite likely that many of them will drive an EV. It logically follows that these EV drivers will inevitably need a place to charge their cars.

This article will provide a close-up look at EV charging stations in airports. I will discuss why they are such a fitting addition to airports, outline a few peripheral opportunities they present, and delve into a case study of EV charging stations at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Why Airports?

Airports are perhaps the most important transportation hub in any city – their primary function is to facilitate inter-city and international travel. But since they serve millions of people per day, they also serve as focal points for a variety of transportation types within a city. For instance, people get to and from an airport by car, taxi, bus, or subway, just to name a few.

But as the EV market continues to expand, more and more people who drive to airports will also be EV owners. And as any EV owner will tell you, their biggest concern is always where they will charge their car.

And this is where airports emerge as one of the most important places to locate an EV charging station. An EV owner who drives to the airport will likely need a place to charge their car. Perhaps they will be parked for some time – from several hours to even a few days. By locating a charging station at or near an airport, EV owners can charge their cars while they are parked.

Furthermore, the people who will most likely afford EVs in these early days (namely higher income individuals/individuals using corporate EV fleets) will likely travel more. Consequently, airports would serve as logical locations for charging stations.

Testing the Waters at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport

One of the first airports to invest in EV charging stations is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Last year, BWI Marshall Airport enlisted the services of SemaConnect, Inc. to construct eight EV charging stations in its parking garages. The eight Level 2 (240 VAC) plug-in charging stations went live on April 23, 2011 (Earth Day).

Half of them went into the Level 1 daily garage and half went into the Level 1 hourly garage. Both of them provided reserved parking exclusively for EVs.

Although the administration at BWI Marshall Airport is always trying to think of new ways to lead the way in environmental sustainability, it also maintains a dedication to making the airport more convenient for its numerous customers. The new EV charging stations satisfy both of these elements while giving the airport a more cutting-edge image.

In the words of Paul J. Wiedefeld, Executive Director of BWI Marshall Airport: “This innovation highlights our commitment to environmental stewardship. Providing these EV charging stations for our customers is consistent with our efficient, convenient service and our ‘easy come, easy go’ reputation.”

Peripheral EV Opportunities at Airports

The emerging EV economy also presents interesting new opportunities for companies indirectly linked to the airlines industry. For instance, some car rental companies near airports have realized many of their customers are partial to EVs. As a result, a cursory glance through some car rental lots these days reveals EV charging stations and small fleets of EVs. This is just one of the new ways the rental companies are trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Both Hertz and Enterprise have now integrated EV’s and EV charging stations at many of their offices in the US. But as more and more Americans shift towards EVs for personal transportation, we could see many more car rental companies embrace EV infrastructure.

The Way Forward

Although BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport is considered one of the pioneers in providing EV amenities for air travellers, many other airports have also decided to capitalize on the emerging EV economy. EV infrastructure projects are now off the ground at airports across the country.

In Washington, Dulles International has installed four EV charging stations for its customers. LaGuardia Airport in New York has opted to install five EV charging stations. And not to be outdone, Sacramento International Airport has installed no less than 12 EV charging stations across its parking lots.

These are just a handful of the many airports that are tapping into the needs of EV drivers. Many others will likely emerge as EVs become an increasingly important form of transportation in the future.

Joseph Tohill is a freelance writer and online communications specialist for organizations in the sustainability sector. He has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of British Columbia and spent most of his academic career studying sustainable urban development; namely the interdisciplinary relationship between built form and natural environment.

Commercial Properties, the Next Stop in Building Electric Vehicle Supply Chain

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By Martin Leggett

When it comes to bringing on a clean energy transformation for the US, the 'poultry problem' is one that has reared its awkward head for many a green technology. But it may be that the chicken-or-egg issue that has bedeviled the twin-track deployment of electric vehicles (EV's), and the chargers needed to fuel them, will soon be fading into the background.

That's because, in the eyes of many industry observers, an inflection point – where the nascent electric car market develops a self-sustaining momentum – is upon us. If they're right, it means commercial property owners need to sit up and take note. An electric fueling infrastructure rewrites all the rules of our auto-dependent society  – putting commercial premises and businesses on the front-line for a slew of new opportunities. EV chargers in the front lot can be a brand-builder, customer magnet and revenue generator, all rolled into one.

Laying the foundation for the 'Third Industrial Revolution'

What has helped to propel the EV, and the EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) markets forward has been the supporting hand of federal and state investment. Tax credits for EV's and EVSE's, and the pump-priming of ARRA-funded state partnerships in several targeted US cities – such as EV Project and Chargepoint America – have helped lay the charging foundation needed for EV's to flourish.

Jill Sorensen, Executive Director of Baltimore Electric Vehicle Initiative (BEVI), is one EV protagonist who sees federal investment as bearing fruit. “This has been a critical catalyst. More is needed, but we are on the verge of transitioning to private market opportunities to unleash what scholars are calling our Third Industrial Revolution in clean energy.”

The numbers bear her analysis out. In the last two years the count of installed chargers has leaped forward – in April 2011 there were a mere 750 EV chargers nationally; as of May 2012 there were 10,660. Forecasts from PikeResearch suggest that such exponential growth will continue: its latest report pencils in bold 1.5 million EVSE installations staked out across the US, by 2017.

Electric avenue – a one way street?

The backdrop to these positive projections is a grasping of the fundamental direction of travel that the personal transport sector is in. Whatever the ups-and-downs of monthly EV sales (and there have been bumps on the road over the last 12 months), electric cars have caught the wave of the future. As a clean, affordable, and more socially acceptable form of transport, the buzz is all on the electric, not the gasoline, side of the fence.

Those cities that have benefited from government investment, to lay down EV charging infrastructure, can be compared to the leading lights in the movement to make public smoking unacceptable. “Gas is like cigarettes, the less we smoke the healthier we all will be. Even non-drivers are inhaling second-hand smoke from others' vehicle emissions,” commented Jill Sorensen.

Commercial property owners keen to catch the wave

Baltimore can be seen as one of the clean sweet-spots from which EVSE infrastructure is likely to spread. Here, thanks to ARRA (American Reinvestment and Recovery Act) funds that have channelled grants through Maryland's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (EVIP), the greater Baltimore area has over 80 EV chargers installed – the majority of them for public use. But private premise owners are starting to see the logic in installing chargers themselves.

“About 80-90% of the charging station installations to date in Maryland have been public. But certain commercial properties like the Bozzutto Group, Tower Companies, MOMs Organic Markets, The National's Stadium and Walgreens have been more progressive, and taken the initiative to install their own EVSEs,” Sorensen said. But what is driving commercial property owners to make their own slice of investment in the clean energy revolution?

The one dominant factor is the bottom line, of course. And EV chargers can deliver that in a number of ways. First and foremost, in these early days of the EV transition, charging stations are a fantastic statement of intent. With the strong association between EV's and environmental benefits, those premises sporting an EV charger are likely to gain eco-kudos – even among those who aren't yet EV drivers. Installing a charger helps to raise a brand's profile amongst an eco-conscious consumers.

A bold statement of intent

Brand-strengthening isn't just a consideration for retailers, though. Those letting out residential and office property which has been fully furnished with EVSE are likely to see a marketing boon for their property – and even a rental premium. Corporate tenants are likely to see the advantage they will accrue to their own image, and ability to recruit staff, by operating from premises sporting cutting-edge clean energy technology.

The second big positive for commercial property owners who are EV-ready is the potential for extra draw for EV custom. Although the number of EV's on the road right now is still small, the charging patterns of EV users, and the relative scarcity of chargers in most locations, makes 'EV custom' punch above its weight. And this is a market potentially on the cusp of exponential growth. Early adopters of EVSE would be well-positioned to catch that wave, when it rolls in.

'Green is good' for commercial owners

Finally there is the lure of direct revenue to be tapped from EV charging itself. This part of the EVSE benefits package is, however, less certain. In many states it remains illegal to resell electricity, a hangover from the days when unscrupulous landlords took advantage of their tenants. But legislators are recognizing the need to give property owners scope to recoup costs from installed charging equipment.

Colorado recently joined a handful of states that are letting businesses charge their EV customers for topping up their batteries, for a license fee. But even where that is not an option, many premise-owners are experimenting with other ways to generate monies – by placing a premium charge for using EV-ready parking lots, or asking for a monthly subscription for access to their installed EVSE.

So, as Jill Sorensen points out, the ramping up of the EVSE network is going to rely increasingly on commercial premise owners – and they will be taking the plunge for hard-headed, as well as green-tinged reasons:

“Green is good for commercial property owners when environmental benefits also translate to economic benefits.”

Martin is a freelance writer from the UK, who specializes in writing on the strategic impact of environmental issues. After a 10-year sojourn as an analyst at Brady plc –  a Cambridge-based provider of services to commodity investment banking professionals – Martin set himself up as self-employed writer at the beginning of 2010. Since then he has written for a number of environmental websites and companies, and has been one of the principle journalists for green news website, The Earth Times.