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EV Charging

How to Prepare for Commercial EV Charging Stations

Read Time 3 mins | April 10, 2022 | Written by: Julia Segal

 

There is a growing surge of interest in Commercial EV Charging Stations, driven by several factors including gas prices skyrocketing, concerns about global warming, regulatory requirements, and billions of dollars invested in EV charging infrastructure. 

The rising popularity of EVs has resulted in the strong demand for DCFC EV charging station infrastructure to charge them. A new report from NREL shows strong YOY growth of EV charging infrastructure, with the number of EV charging stations doubling between 2015 and 2019. This trend has accelerated since then.

Commercial EV Charging Stations

There are many lingering questions about EV charging infrastructure, with one of the biggest being how to prepare for commercial EV Charging Stations. This article addresses some of the questions on the minds of on-the-fence EV adopters.

What are the benefits of networked EV charging stations?

All EVs require access to chargers – chargers provide the energy stored in the EV’s battery. The type of charger chosen has an impact on the visibility, accessibility, operational efficiency, and the cost of the charging station.  A networked EV charging station, as compared to a stand-alone charger, is a part of a system of connected chargers that has remote access to online management tools through an online portal called the EVSE network. 

Networked commercial EV charging stations provide benefits to both EV drivers and the station owners.  When it’s part of a network, the station is visible to drivers through apps, third-party sites or navigation systems allowing drivers to “get in line” for EV charging. Networked stations streamline and simplify operations for businesses by offering features like automatic updates, anticipating problems, taking advantage of energy savings, and generating detailed reports regarding the efficiency of the station.

Should businesses make EV charging stations public or private?

According to the Boston Consulting Group, more people will be buying electric cars than gas cars by 2030. As the population of EV drivers increases, charging stations that offer public access stand to gain a great deal. 

EV drivers search for routes that offer reliable, highly visible charging stations. This creates a strong pull for locations like offices, shopping centers and hotels to offer EV charging stations. 

Convenient access to public charging stations will help speed up the adoption of EVs, which benefits the entire EV ecosystem. In fact, offering charging stations would compete with digital media in attracting and making potential customers spend more time at a property. 

EV charging stations create new opportunities for advertising. Installing stations signals the property owner’s commitment to sustainability, which tenants may desire or, increasingly, require. It’s best to make charging stations publicly accessible, unless there are strong reasons not to, based on security or congestion concerns.

How do you set a pricing policy for commercial EV charging stations?

There are multiple options to price the EV charging station services ranging from offering it free of cost to attract and retain office workers, shoppers, and other kinds of property users, to turning a profit by levying a fee higher than the total costs of the charging stations. 

The optimal pricing strategy depends on factors like the type of property, tenant requirements, incentive availability and the financial strength of the property owner.

Within the chosen pricing strategy, EV charging station owners must strike a balance between maximizing the attractiveness of the stations to EV owners and ensuring that access is optimized by ensuring adequate turnover at the spaces. 

Office owners want to make sure that workers have adequate time to charge their EVs while shopping center owners want to ensure that their shoppers are increasing their dwell time so that they’re maximizing their spend.

At the same time, adding a surcharge for staying longer at a charger will ensure adequate turnover, giving more EV owners a chance to charge their vehicles, maximizing the utilization of the charging infrastructure.

Feel free to reach out to Sona with any questions you may have on how to prepare for DCFC EV charging stations at commercial locations.

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Julia Segal