As the electric vehicle (EV) market grows, so does the demand for public charging stations. Public charging infrastructure expansion is limited by high upfront costs of equipment and installation, uncertain usage of charging services, and consumers’ willingness to pay for public charging. To date, public funding has been an important component of cost recovery and value maximization for station hosts. This white paper evaluates the business case of hosting a Level 2 charging station in New York State. The analysis uses the charging-use data provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) along with real-world data on equipment use, costs, revenue, and assumptions derived from industry reports and original research. In addition, the report explores scenarios that vary charging-use and revenue sources to better understand the key factors that drive profitability from hosting these stations. The goal of the report is to harness real-world experience to establish an understanding of current charging behavior and inform future efforts to expand the EV market in New York. The main findings from the analysis are that user fees are essential to cover costs, workplace charging stations have the highest utilization among various location types, and charging stations must be used more than once per day to achieve profitability.
