Jan. 1, 2015
Workplace Charging Success: Zappos.com
We were really excited to see how quickly our employees have embraced PEV technology. I'm proud to say that Zappos has been very supportive of employees who have made the decision to be more environmentally-conscious.
Zappos.com, the online retailer of shoes and apparel, takes one of its core values quite literally - "embrace and drive change." Zappos is incentivizing its employees to make sustainability a priority and to consider driving plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) as an alternative mode of transportation. As Zappos also strives to be a leader in the integration of sustainability and technology, joining the U.S. Department of Energy's Workplace Charging Challenge was a natural fit.
In 2013, the company installed four Level 2 PEV charging stations at a time when no Zappos employees drove a PEV. Within a year, five employees had purchased PEVs and the charging stations were full. The Zappos charging stations are open to all employees and their guests, and over 60 percent of employees surveyed indicated they were now considering purchasing a PEV. The company also provides the electricity for free to all employees and guests of Zappos employees with PEVs.
One Zappos employee said, "Zappos offering charging stations at work was 100% the reason my family decided to buy the electric vehicle we have. Now I am able to easily get to and from work without using any gasoline."
Zappos Senior Manager of Campus Operations and Sustainability, Brad Tomm, said, "We were really excited to see how quickly our employees have embraced PEV technology. I'm proud to say that Zappos has been very supportive of employees who have made the decision to be more environmentally-conscious."
For Zappos, workplace charging is a great benefit to their employees and a sign of their forward- thinking and leadership. Additionally, the charging stations nicely complement the LEED Gold certification Zappos earned in 2014 for the company's Las Vegas downtown headquarters.
Zappos is pleased to contribute to the development of the national charging infrastructure by offering PEV charging opportunities to its employees. In 2015 Zappos is planning to install more charging stations to meet the increased demand from employees.
