Electric Vehicles Transition Parking from Cost Centers to Revenue Centers

In 2021, global electric vehicle (EV) sales reached 9 percent. That’s up from 4.1 percent in 2020 and 2.5 percent from 2019. There are now more EVs sold each week than in the whole of 2012. In addition to EV car sales accelerating, virtually every major automotive manufacture has announced deep commitments to their forthcoming EV model lineups—Tesla is no longer going it alone. This is key to mass adoption as scale, choice, and competition will drive down costs, paving the way to more affordability.

The corollary to this transformation may be the single largest infrastructure opportunity ever. That infrastructure opportunity is in the charging points EV drivers require as they move away from gas station fueling to electric fueling. EV drivers rarely go to a charging point with fueling as their main purpose, like a gas station. They go through their daily routine, expecting to plug-in and charge while their vehicle is parked. Then they are off doing more important things. You do not go somewhere to charge; you go somewhere and charge.

EV drivers now view parking spaces as places where they expect to conveniently plug-in to an EV charger and fuel their vehicle while going about their day. Parking spaces are now expected to have EV chargers like they are expected to have tire stops and painted outlines. What this means is no matter your business, if you have parking, you need to begin to offer EV charging. Otherwise, you will begin to lose EV driving customers or employees to your competitors. EV drivers already know beforehand if they can fuel up at your location.

EVs cost money to fuel, creating an opportunity for parking area owners to transition their parking from a cost center to a revenue center. With “plug and charge” billing, this will happen automatically via the vehicle—no need for credit card swipes and other nuisance payment tasks. Think of it like installing overhead lighting that drivers are willing to pay for while they are parked under it. But for all those parking spaces to electrify, we need infrastructure investment and good old fashion hard hat and shovels construction. The good news is significant investment dollars that can help to offset costs for site hosts are flowing now and will continue to over the next decade.

Additional charging infrastructure requires expertise to simplify the complex and navigate the unknown into a solution customized to each site. APTIM has developed a nine-step process to deliver smooth EV charging infrastructure results:

1. Business Operational Assessment
2. On-site Infrastructure Assessment
3. Hardware and Software Product Recommendation
4. Site Design and Construction Planning
5. Grant and Funding Procurement
6. Utility Upgrades and Permitting (if necessary)
7. Site Construction
8. Charger Installation and Commission
9. Long-term operations and Maintenance

Here at APTIM we offer end-to-end electric vehicle charging infrastructure and operations solutions by implementing our proven streamlined process. Our highly experienced team of EV industry professionals will work with you to clear away EV charging confusion and lead the implementation process. From business and site evaluations, to product selection and construction management, APTIM makes it simple to turn parking into a new revenue center.

Contact

Damian Matthews
Director, Electric Mobility
Damian.Matthews@APTIM.com

Brian Bilbo
Business Development Director, Clean Technology
Brian.Bilbo@APTIM.com