The Complete Guide to Installing EV Charging Hubs for Commercial Landowners
In this guide we lay out the processes for landowners to develop revenue-generating and sustainability-boosting EV charging hubs at their commercial properties.
Six or more EV charging bays
Rapid/ultra rapid EV charge points
Short-stay and long-stay locations
What is an EV charging hub?
An EV charging hub is defined as a development with six or more bays equipped with rapid/ultra rapid EV charge points used to charge electric vehicles. However, some motorists might consider a premises to have an EV charging hub with just a couple of bays.
While typically short-stay car parks (like retail) will have rapid or ultra rapid chargers, longer-stay car parks, such as those at train stations or hotels, may make use of slower chargers designed to be used for longer periods.
Why should landowners consider installing an EV charging hub at their commercial property?
Landlords or portfolio managers of retail and leisure estates, shopping facilities, garden centres, large carparks and supermarkets are uniquely positioned to capitalise on the expansion of the UK’s public EV charging network.
Mer’s 2024 customer satisfaction survey highlighted that there is a need for more public charging infrastructure:
46% of drivers would like to see an increase in charge point availability.
57% of drivers said they usually do some shopping or stop for a meal whilst their vehicle is charging, which shows the popularity of convenient charging hubs amongst drivers.
Unlike refuelling a petrol or diesel car, charging the battery of an EV often takes around twenty minutes to an hour, depending on the speed of the charger and size of the battery. Therefore, driver’s will need to find ways to pass the time by shopping or getting food and a drink. In fact, in our 2024 customer survey, 57% of drivers said that they usually shop or eat while their vehicle is charging.
This extra dwell time increases the likelihood of incidental spending for a segment of customers who might not have otherwise visited your retail park. Likewise, customers may choose your store over a competitor if they know they can charge their EV while they shop.
EV charging hubs can help you expand into and target new customer segments. EV drivers are always looking for somewhere convenient to charge their vehicle. If your location has amenities such as shops, restaurants and other amenities that they can use while they charge, they are likely to prioritise your location over others.
EV charging hubs help to reduce the carbon emissions for everyone who visits your site with an EV, which assists in driving your sustainability goals. Accurate usage data is especially useful for ESG reporting. Meanwhile, renewable energy sources can be integrated with the charging infrastructure to further reduce emissions.
What are the most important factors when developing an EV charging hub?
Implementing a successful EV charging hub on your premises is not just about installing the infrastructure. There must be close collaboration between the site owners and the selected EV charging partner to maximise usage and revenue.
Landowners have a wide variety of finance models available to them, each of which help to drive revenue growth at your site. You might choose to enter a profit-sharing agreement in which all EV infrastructure costs are fully financed by your charging partner, or you rent out some parking spaces to them, so that they become another high-value tenant.
Every commercial property is different; therefore, every charging hub is unique, too. Any plans must consider everything from the available power supply to the traffic flow of the carpark.
The number of chargers is carefully considered to avoid over installation, which wastes capital and emissions. To avoid this issue, work with your chosen charging partner to analyse the local demand for chargers and available space to understand the optimal solution.
Convenience is key. You should only work with a charging partner who offers a wide range of seamless and transparent payment options. Meanwhile, the chargers themselves must be reliable and well maintained with clear signage and user guides available. Motorists also value rapid and ultra-rapid charging to get them back on the road as soon as possible.
The partner you select is not simply an installer, instead they are a long-term partner who is as equally invested as you in the success of the charging hub. By connecting with EV drivers through effective marketing strategies, they help to reach new customers for both the EV infrastructure and your site.
How do you create a successful EV charging hub strategy?
There are several factors you should consider before installing an EV charging hub at your site.
Space
There must be sufficient space at a site to install the chargers. If you only have a small car park, then the chargers can take too many spaces away from people who do not need to charge their vehicle. This can lead to revenue loss as customers who do wish to charge are blocked from the infrastructure. Instead, careful consideration should be given to the number and location of chargers in proportion to the available parking space.
Demand
As briefly mentioned before, it is important to understand the tangible amount of demand for EV charging in your local area. If there is a lack of other EV charging infrastructure surrounding your site, then it is likely that the installation of chargers will rapidly propel your retail park’s popularity as a charging hub. Meanwhile, if there are already several charging facilities nearby, competition is fiercer, and it could be a case of over-installation.
Power
An EV charging hub is energy intensive. Not every site has the right energy grid connections to supply the power needed to charge several EVs simultaneously, alongside your regular business operations. It is important to work out how much energy is available at the site, as well as how much the hub itself is likely to need. If the existing supply is not adequate to meet your new demands, then your strategy needs to be centred around whether you utilise smart charging technologies to mitigate this issue, or whether you need to spend the time and capital upgrading your grid capacity.
Your EV charging partner checklist
Selecting the right EV charging partner is crucial. But how do you choose the right one? Our handy checklist has all the things to look out for before you partner with an EV charging company:
- They have prior experience in working with retail locations and understand the specific needs and requirements of commercial landowners.
- They promote the long-term and sustainable growth of the UK’s public EV charging network. This will help you to scale and adapt your infrastructure as the market and technology moves forward.
- They take care of a dedicated power supply, ensuring minimal disruption to your site. This involves coordinating with Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), iDNOs (Independent Distribution Network Operators) and other third parties to ensure that the energy demands of the charging hub can be met.
- They provide a first-class driver experience with a dedicated customer service team and multiple payment methods, alongside industry-leading charger maintenance and support to guarantee high uptime. This is backed by both government regulation, which states that charging points must be 99% reliable as an average across each charge partner’s rapid network over a calendar year, as well as within the interest of the charging partner to provide a resilient service to both landlords and their customers. This standard is upheld through annual reporting of the network’s reliability to the Secretary of State and the enforcement authority.
