The Number of Plugs at a EV Charging Site Correlates Strongly With Utilization, Kempower Says

Ultra-fast EV chargers generate plenty of headlines, but charging networks cannot remain viable unless the stations installing them generate enough revenue to justify their investment. New research from Kempower suggests that adding more charging plugs may be more important to profitability than simply increasing the power available at each stall.

Megawatt charging can deliver hundreds of miles of range in minutes for compatible vehicles, but Kempower’s white paper, based on North American charging data from its ChargEye analytics platform, found that installed power has a surprisingly limited effect on station utilization.

According to Kempower, the number of charging points at a site correlates much more strongly with utilization than total installed power. The company found that utilization rises steadily as stations add more charging points, potentially improving revenue and shortening the time required to recover the initial investment.

Kempower reported that an eight-plug station can achieve roughly three times the utilization of smaller stations, even when those smaller locations offer higher-powered chargers.

The data illustrates the difference. Utilization increased from roughly 3% at 100-kW stations to slightly above 5% at 400-kW stations. Increasing the number of plugs produced a much larger change, with utilization rising from roughly 2% at two-plug locations to nearly 10% at eight-plug sites.

Larger stations also delivered substantially more energy. Eight-plug locations averaged approximately 128,342 kWh of energy delivered, more than double the roughly 61,453 kWh recorded by four-plug stations.

Kempower found that approximately 100 kW per connector can be an effective power level for maximizing utilization when all connectors are occupied. Most EVs cannot sustain their maximum advertised charging rate throughout an entire charging session. A vehicle capable of accepting 300 kW, for example, may average approximately 100 kW to 150 kW during a typical 10% to 80% charging session.

The findings do not mean high-power charging is unnecessary. Faster charging can reduce wait times and improve the experience for drivers with vehicles capable of taking advantage of it. However, installing extremely powerful chargers at locations with too few plugs can result in expensive infrastructure that sits underutilized.

Kempower’s own charging technology uses distributed power and dynamic power management, allowing available electrical capacity to be shared among multiple charging points. This approach can also make stations easier to expand as demand increases without requiring operators to completely rebuild their electrical infrastructure.

EVinfo.net’s Take: We Agree With Kempower’s Assessment That Charging Infrastructure Should Prioritize Accessibility and Utilization

EVinfo.net agrees with Kempower’s assessment. More plugs allow stations to serve more drivers simultaneously, increasing energy delivered and revenue while reducing the risk of expensive chargers sitting idle. Strategically expanding the number of charging points, combined with dynamic power management, could provide a more practical and financially sustainable approach to building the charging network drivers need.

EV chargers are getting dramatically faster, with the latest DC fast-charging systems delivering hundreds of kilowatts and some next-generation chargers reaching 1 MW or more. These higher power levels can add significant driving range in just minutes, reducing charging stops and making EVs more convenient for long-distance travel. It’s important to keep supporting installation of faster EV charging.

In January, EVinfo.net reported that DC fast charging is gaining momentum across Queens and Long Island as Kempower and GET Charged Fast EV Charging began deploying a new network of public fast-charging sites at high-traffic neighborhood shopping centers.

Each site is powered by Kempower’s distributed charging technology and features eight dual Kempower Satellite chargers equipped with both NACS and CCS1 connectors.