CPOs - Why You Must Act Now

As the electric vehicle (EV) industry accelerates, so too does the hunt for prime real estate to host public charge points. But new data reveals a stark reality: the window of opportunity for charge point businesses is closing fast. CEO Dr. Stefan Furlan implores CPOs to move now.

It is something that the team at Dodona Analytics is acutely aware of. Charge Point Operators (CPOs) have a strategy when it comes to the kinds of charge point locations they wish to find and secure, but what if the number of those types of sites are shrinking at a surprising rate? 

As one in a series of articles inspecting why CPOs and charge point businesses need to be able to move and react fast in the ever-evolving market of EV charging infrastructure, I take the opportunity to show how the data reveals an alarming trend: how a simple strategy can be significantly eroded by competitor activity over a period of 4 business quarters.

From opportunity to scarcity: A data-backed analysis

The data is speaking for itself, highlighting a steep decline in viable, high-traffic areas for charge point deployment as a trend that poses a direct threat to late or slow-moving CPOs,

We conducted a location analysis of the Nottingham city area, analyzing stages of market opportunity and competitive presence over the course of a year - starting in Q3 of 2024. Using the consistent filters to show locations with relevant proximity to high traffic roads and key points of interest (POIs), we then filtered to exclude areas already claimed by competing CPOs.

This is a simple destination charging strategy. Putting chargers close to busy roads and colocating them with short-dwell time points of interest (POIs). Specifically locations near to short dwell-time POIs which were also less than 1km from a road with at least 20,000 vehicles a day.

Using this criteria, we first land with the area below, showing 100% of these ideal locations. Let’s call this the ”addressable universe” of opportunities for CPOs:

 
Source: Dodona Analytics Charge Point Planning Platform

Unsurprisingly, however, you are not the only CPO interested in these sites. So when we consider the existing competition in the area (i.e. eliminate any sites with a rapid or ultra rapid competing charger already installed within a proximity of 500m), your addressable universe of prime, available locations drops significantly:

Source: Dodona Analytics Charge Point Planning Platform

Just how fast are the competitors moving?

Faster than you think.

Extending this analysis over the next four quarters reveals an alarming rate of vanishing opportunities for CPOs.

Within this timeframe, and using the same strategy criteria, the snapshots below show a crumbling addressable universe of prime locations for EV charge points quarter by quarter - by almost 16% over the course of 4 quarters:

Source: Dodona Analytics Charge Point Planning Platform

Let’s break that down:

While not seeming too alarming at first - with an average quarterly drop of 5.3% in available sites from the previous quarter -these losses accumulate rapidly. In three quarters of a year, the total addressable universe for a CPO has been reduced by 15.88%, and with the market ramping up, competitor activity is likely to continue at an ever faster pace.

Every month counts

This drop in unthreatened prime EV charging real estate is significant.

These are not marginal losses. They are very real, measurable reductions in available high-value locations, which is the very foundation for profitable EV infrastructure. As such they represent an undeniable business risk to slow-moving CPOs. 

Going further, comparing the data shown in the first snapshot in this article from Q3 2024, showing all potential locations regardless of competitor presence in the area, allows us to see that competitor activity has since chopped the number of available sites in half. 

It urgently needs to be understood: the chance to secure a charging network’s future is diminishing every day.


Source: Dodona Analytics Charge Point Planning Platform

Turning insight into action

It is obvious that the EV charge point landscape is getting more crowded. Companies who act quickly are able to snap up the best sites, leaving slower operators with declining options and crumbling revenue potential.

So if you're waiting to “plan it perfectly,” you’re already behind. Precision matters, but with competitors eating up new sites every month, speed now carries just as much quality.

To win this race, CPOs need  a strategy backed by data and insight. That’s where Dodona Analytics comes in. Our Charge Point Planning (CPP) Platform empowers CPOs to:

• Identify untapped opportunities before the competition
• Optimize network expansion based on real-time data
• Make smarter, faster decisions that maximize ROI

Final word: the clock is ticking

The Nottingham case study is a warning and a roadmap. The best locations are vanishing fast, but that does not mean that they are not still out there. With the right technology, CPOs are equipped to make the right decisions and fast, supporting their success in 2025, for dominance in 2030 and beyond.

The question CPOs need to ask themselves is:

"Do we want to lead the charge, or be left chasing what’s left?"