Charging stations in hospitals: an essential service for patients and staff

Hospitals are strategic locations for installingelectric vehicle charging infrastructure. Patients, visitors, and healthcare staff spend many hours inside these facilities, turning their time there into a useful opportunity to recharge their cars.

In addition to the practical advantage, this type of initiative promotessustainable mobilityand contributes toimproving air quality, with direct positive effects on public health.

Why hospitals are ideal places for recharging

Healthcare facilities have specific characteristics that make them ideal for hosting Charging Stations:

• Extended average parking times, ideal for AC medium-power charging that preserves the battery and reduces energy costs.
• High daily influxof people (patients, caregivers, and staff), making the service accessible and useful to a large number of users.
• Ample and diversified parking facilities, facilitating modular infrastructure planning and balancing the needs of users, staff, and internal logistics.

Added value for users and visitors

Finding a charging station in the hospital parking lot meanseliminating the anxiety of recharging. Patients undergoing prolonged therapies (chemotherapy, dialysis, physical therapy) can recharge their cars during treatment, while visitors can do so while waiting, avoiding additional trips or stops at the end of their visit.

A small practical advantage that lightens the routine in contexts that are often complex or emotionally demanding.

Tangible benefits for healthcare personnel

Doctors, nurses, and technical staff worklong and irregular shifts, often at times when public infrastructure is less accessible.

Having indoor charging points improvesoperational flexibilityand is areal benefitfor hospital workers. Furthermore, equipping the facility with dedicated charging services enhances itsattractiveness as an employer, demonstrating its commitment to the well-being and sustainability of its staff.

Internal fleets and electric service vehicles

At the same time, more and more Italian healthcare facilities are converting theirinternal fleetsto electric or plug-in hybrid solutions.

Light electric ambulances simplify urban transport, shuttles connect pavilions and parking lots, while maintenance and internal logistics vehicles operate silently and without emissions.

Energy can come fromlocal renewable sources, such as photovoltaic systems installed on hospital roofs or in covered parking lots, further reducing costs and environmental impact.

Virtuous experiences in Italy

In Italy, a virtuous example is represented by Novo Nordisk's "Electric Path" project, developed as part of the Circular for Zero initiative, which led to the installation, in June 2023, of four Charging Stations at the Casa di Comunità in Bergamo (via Borgo Palazzo, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII). The infrastructure is accessible to all users and integrated with urban mobility, helping to make healthcare facilities active hubs of the energy transition.

These are in addition to the twelve charging stations already installed by the Lombardy Region in the hospital's main parking lots (North-East, South, user area, San Giovanni Bianco, and motorcycle area), bringing the total to sixteen charging points.

The project was subsequently extended to other Italian cities, including Rome ( San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital), Turin ( Mauriziano Hospital, with two rapid charging stations), and Milan ( Grande Ospedale Niguarda, the first site inaugurated in March 2022).

Towards energy-smart hospitals

The future of healthcare lies infacilities capable of intelligently managing energy and mobility. Next-generation hospitals will integrate charging stations for private and service vehicles, digital energy monitoring systems, and power from renewable sources.

The goal is not only to reduce emissions, but alsoto reconfigure the hospital structure as an active hub of a more sustainable urban network, capable of positively influencing the environment, efficiency, and quality of life.

Powy: solutions for electric mobility in hospitals

Powy offersturnkeysolutions for designing, installing, and managing charging infrastructure dedicated tothe healthcare sector, adapting it to the specific needs of hospitals, clinics, and medical centers.

Our technologies guaranteeintelligent energy management,consumption tracking, andremote monitoring and maintenancesystems that ensure service continuity and reduced operating costs.

From preliminary consulting to commissioning, Powy healthcare facilities through every phase of the project, offering comprehensive technical and management support. Contact us to develop acustomized electric mobility plan for your hospitaland transform your facility into a model ofefficiency, sustainability, and innovationin the service of health.

FAQ: Are charging stations in hospitals free or do you have to pay to use them?

It depends on who operates the charging station and the specific facility’s policies. If the charging station is owned or operated directly by the hospital, it may be free, offer discounted rates (for example, for employees), or require payment from visitors and patients. Some facilities offer the first few hours for free. If, on the other hand, the charging station is managed by an external operator (such as a charging service provider), the operator’s standard rates apply, regardless of whether it is located within the hospital grounds. To be certain of the costs and procedures, it is advisable to check the operator’s app indicated on the charging station or ask for information at the hospital’s reception desk or parking lot.

​

About Powy

Powy a company that owns, develops, and manages Italy's leading independent network of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Founded in Turin, Italy in 2018, Powy is at the center of the transition to more sustainable mobility, offering an innovative charging infrastructure that uses only 100 percent renewable energy.

Powy 's network includes quick, fast, and ultra-fast charging solutions strategically placed in public and private parking lots, supermarkets, shopping malls, and transportation hubs to ensure maximum convenience and accessibility for EV drivers. Each station is equipped with advanced technologies to provide a reliable and efficient charging experience.

Learn more: wpowy.energy