Question 1

1. What data do you need before selecting an EV charger site?

Accepted Answer

EV charger site selection works best with four layers: traffic/footfall counts, EV registration density from transport department data, dwell-time patterns for the venue type, and utilization logs from any chargers you already run nearby. No single layer is reliable alone — traffic counts especially overstate demand unless cross-checked against EV ownership density.

Question 2

2. How much traffic does a location need to justify a DC fast charger?

Accepted Answer

Traffic volume alone isn't the qualifying test — dwell time is. A location needs enough passing EV-registered traffic to fill sessions, but it also needs visitors who naturally stay 25–40 minutes, like a grocery run. A high-traffic site with only 5–15 minute average stops (a coffee counter or pharmacy pickup) won't fill a DC fast charger no matter the vehicle count.

Question 3

3. Should fuel retailers convert forecourt space or add standalone sites?

Accepted Answer

Forecourt conversion works when there's an adjacent retail or food anchor extending dwell time beyond the typical 5–10 minute fuel stop — a convenience store or QSR counter, for instance. Without that anchor, a standalone site closer to a grocery or retail hub with a genuine 25+ minute dwell time will usually out-perform a bare forecourt charger.

Question 4

4. How often should a city-wide placement plan be re-scored?

Accepted Answer

Quarterly is a practical cadence for most CPOs. Each newly commissioned site adds fresh utilization data, and folding that back into the scorecard's weights keeps the model accurate as EV registration density and traffic patterns shift across the city.

Question 5

5. What utilization rate should a new charging site target?

Accepted Answer

Industry breakeven benchmarks generally sit around 10–12% utilization within 4–5 years of commissioning. India's public network currently averages closer to 5%, which is exactly the gap that disciplined EV charger site selection — rather than opportunistic placement — is meant to close.

Question 6

6. Is a busy road always a good EV charging location?

Accepted Answer

No — high traffic without dwell-time fit is one of the most common site-selection mistakes. A busy road tells you cars pass by; it says nothing about whether they'll stop long enough to charge. Pair traffic data with dwell-time and EV-registration-density data before committing to a site.

ev charging site planning

EV Charger Site Selection: How To Plan Placement Across A City