How happy is your existing EV charging network? We are on a mission to create happy chargers, supporting charging businesses to build networks of highly utilized chargers servicing happy, satisfied customers. In this article, Chris Chamberlain looks at the importance of understanding network performance when building a charge point business.
EV Charge Point Operators (CPOs) are vying to bag the optimal charge point locations while the market is still on its way up. But building even one charge site is a costly business and, when assessed incorrectly, can present a major business loss.
So getting it right is important, and a big part of this is making sure that your existing charging sites are performing well. This is not often a priority for CPOs, many of which are looking to expand what they currently have, at a competitive pace. It is important, however, to take a look behind you, at what you have already built, to assess its performance, and ensure that your next steps are well-informed..
Unfortunately, this understanding and the data is often just not there. Many networks still operate reactively rather than proactively, with inefficient site management and underperforming assets flying under the radar for too long.
Getting a grasp on charger performance is critical to a network’s survival, as well as providing a solid base for expansion. With operators lacking a clear, data-based picture of how their network is being used, I want to share with you the kind of information you should be able to access and analyze, as part of ensuring a healthy, happy network of EV charge points:
This is a big topic at the moment, and rightly so. Knowing your utilization rates can have considerable consequences.
If you are expanding a network which already includes any number of underperforming chargers, then you are opening the business up to more risk by deploying further. It also suggests that the way in which the under-utilized site(s) were assessed and chosen, might have been flawed, and using the same approach will likely lead to the addition of yet more underperforming sites.
On the flip side, however, access to this information can open the door to positive change to the bottom line. Is a particular site seeing consistently high utilization rates? Maybe it is time to install a few extra charge points there. Is a site severely underperforming? Perhaps it is time to close shop and cut your losses on that one.
Essential to providing an optimal charging experience, times of peak usage can prove to be a make or break situation for some CPOs. It is therefore critical to know when peak usage times are, and whether they perform under the pressure. If you have happy, fully charged EV drivers pulling out of the exits then great, no worries. But if not, companies who are not able to access this information are simply not going to know.
If there is room for improvement, the data will show it and you can make the appropriate decisions. Maybe the site is maxed out during these peak times and there is capacity to deliver more to your customers. In this case the answer might not be a new site, but improvements and the expansion of this existing site. Or perhaps the site is showing underwhelming results for the anticipated peak-usage times. The CPO needs to know this so that they can decide what to do about it.
On the topic of peak usage patterns, it is absolutely imperative to know whether the grid is serving your charging sites consistently. It is no use for a site to be inconsistent at delivering the right charge, putting your brand reputation at jeopardy and contributing to “charge anxiety” - a feeling among some EV drivers of being unsupported by their local and long distance charging options.
We are seeing power constraints becoming a major barrier to scaling for charge point businesses. Without the data, and the predictive insights which can come with it, operators risk investing in sites which might support their plans now, but will have no extra capacity for additional chargers in the future. We are also hearing of CPOs being hit with unexpected grid upgrade costs - a nasty surprise which nobody needs.
What dwell time are you seeing at your locations and do they match your expectations? What charge is being delivered within time and is this adequate to the customer’s need at that location type?
These are the kinds of questions which can lead to significant decisions being made for your business - if you have access to the right data in order to answer them. If you can analyze the current output of a charging site, then you can analyze how it might be improved.
Perhaps you are seeing what you expected to be a residential charge site quickly becoming a destination charge site, with customers spending longer there than anticipated due to the opening of nearby conveniences? Equally, it is worth considering the dwell times at other locations near to the charging site in question - do they suggest a preference among drivers for a different site and why might this be (perhaps the local amenities are better)?
With these and many other scenarios, an analysis of the data offers opportunities to maximize the revenue generated by that site, such as additional chargers, amending your charger types, or even capturing heavier foot traffic than you anticipated with an onsite refreshment/convenience offering of your own.
Whether you plan to scale up right now or not, ensuring your sites and chargers are performing optimally, as you intended them too, will maximize their profitability and in turn, create happy customers, happy chargers, and a positive charging experience.
Find out about how our Charge Point Planning platform supports CPOs in the US, UK, and Europe to do exactly this at our website, or visit our Resources page for customer case studies and more.