Happy Chargers - Location, Location, Location

We all know that the location of your EV charge points is a critical decision for a happy charging network with happy customers. But there is a thin line between selecting the right location and the wrong location, between a profitable, high-traffic charging site, and an under-utilized facility, so let’s discuss why.

As Charge Point Planning (CPP) platform, we support businesses across the UK, Europe and the US in choosing the right locations for their EV charge points, whether they are getting started or wanting to scale and grow their charging networks at speed. We call this “creating happy chargers” - you can read more about this here.

We see first hand what happens when this is done right, and when it is done wrong. Charge point planning is the process behind getting the locations of your EV charging sites right, relying on a myriad of factors critical to charge point planning and deployment.

So what does the right location look like, and why?

You might be thinking that bagging and deploying to a few charging sites in high traffic areas is a safe bet - and why not? Lots of potential EV-driving customers surrounding your shiny new chargers. But the attributes of the right EV charge point location are SO much more complex than that. 

If you are aiming for high-utilization (and you should be), then the following local market dynamics are just a bite out of the overall data pool you need to draw from when planning your next charging location(s): 

• Current traffic patterns and volume
• EV registration density within 50 mile radius
• Non-EV registration density within the same radius 
• Typical dwell times
• Grid infrastructure
• Peak usage hours
• Demographic data
• Local business operating hours
• Competitor locations and pricing

Making sure that this list of factors is properly sourced and considered will allow Charge Point Operators (CPOs) and other charge point businesses to avoid costly mistakes, such as deploying the wrong type and/or number of chargers at the location (a potentially very costly error), being dependant on a grid infrastructure which just cannot support your site’s needs - particularly at peak times, and simply being in a location where EV drivers are not and have no incentive to be. This is such a pertinent topic right now that the UK government has issued official advice on using location data in order to boost local charging infrastructure.

Getting your location(s) decided on and “in the bag” quickly is also central to ensuring success. The speed at which these factors are analyzed and decided upon must be fast enough to beat the competition, as well as ensuring that the charging network can be planned and deployed at a rate which provides a timely return on investment. As we all know, this in turn supports further investment into further locations.

How important is site location in our electric future?

It is easy for CPOs and EV charging businesses to focus solely on themselves and the right now, but without widescale EV adoption, any success they see now can only be limited. In the UK, for example, a recent report from the UK government’s Committee for Public Accounts has highlighted severe geographic discrepancies in charge point distribution, despite being able to boast over 75,000 charging devices across almost 40,000 sites, and warning of the risk this poses to EV adoption in the country.

So, when scaling charging networks, the locations under consideration need to be relevant to EV needs right now, but as a business it is important to have an eye on the future when analyzing factors such as traffic patterns, car registrations and local demographics, to pinpoint those high-potential sites in areas of growing demand or with planned developments, to encourage EV adoption and ensure future business success. 

A leading UK CPO, (and Dodona Analytics customer) PoGo Charge has talked about its focus on future EV demographics, citing CPP technology as supporting them in getting ahead of changing driver behavior, to make sure that they will be in the right locations at the right time to support the every day driver as EV adoption develops.

So, it is safe to say that being able to identify the right location for a charging site is key to creating a network of happy, highly utilized charge points, and happy, well supported EV drivers. The location of charging facilities is also key to EV adoption at a national level, with the UK being a perfect example at the moment. If charge point businesses focus on getting themselves in the right positions now, and fast, then there could be a successful electric future ahead for all of us.